


Warriors: Dawn's Awakening- Part 1

by Lightfyre



Series: Warriors: Dawn's Awakening [1]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Other, ThunderClan (Warriors), first fanfic i'm posting here, ptsd mention, the sexual abuse is very brief but I'm still rating it M to be on the safe side
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-25
Updated: 2016-09-30
Packaged: 2018-08-17 08:11:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8136835
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lightfyre/pseuds/Lightfyre
Summary: Lichentail is a young ThunderClan warrior eager to serve her Clan. But when another cat does an injustice to her, she flees from the only home she's ever known. Once she re-takes control of her life, she discovers she has a great destiny to fulfill.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Allegiances**
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>    
>  **ThunderClan**  
>  Leader: Sapstar (dark brown tom with gold mottling)  
> Deputy: Redwing (dark red tabby tom)  
> Medicine Cat: Deerpelt (light brown she-cat)  
> Apprentice, Rosefall (pinkish-orange she-cat)
> 
> Warriors 
> 
> Lichentail (pale gray she-cat with dark gray ears and tail)  
> Flarepelt (white she-cat with ginger patches)  
> Shadefire (black tom with a ginger chest marking)  
> Lightstripe (light brown tabby tom)  
> Sunstorm (mottled ginger tom)  
> Apprentice, Sleetpaw  
> Swifthawk (large pale brown tabby tom)  
> Apprentice, Burningpaw  
> Foggyheart (gray and white tom)  
> Icefeather (gray and white she cat)  
> Stonestorm (large, sturdy dark gray tom)  
> Silverlily (pale gray she-cat)  
> Batfang (very dark brown tom)  
> Duskfeather (pale ginger she-cat) 
> 
>    
> Apprentices 
> 
> Sleetpaw (white she-cat)  
> Burningpaw (orangey-brown tabby tom) 
> 
>  
> 
> Queens
> 
> Heatherbreeze (long haired light brown she-cat)  
> Mother to: Gorsekit (golden brown she-kit), and Jumpkit (ginger tabby tom) 
> 
>    
> Elders
> 
> Amberclaw- dark ginger tabby tom  
> Oakflower- long haired dark red she-cat 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **RiverClan**
> 
>  
> 
> Leader: Coldstar (dark gray tom)  
> Deputy: Splitgaze (black she-cat with a green eye and a blue eye)  
> Medicine cat: Fernlight (light brown tabby she-cat with green eyes)  
> Apprentice, Pebblepaw (mottled gray she-cat) 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> **WindClan**
> 
>  
> 
> Leader: Olivestar (wiry golden brown tom)  
> Deputy: Slickpelt (sleek gray tom)  
> Medicine cat: Smallberry (very small dark brown tabby she-cat)
> 
> Warriors: 
> 
> Foxflash (dark red tom)  
> Badgerfang (huge black and white tom) 
> 
>  
> 
>  **ShadowClan**  
>  Leader: Scorchstar (dark ginger tom)  
> Deputy: Flamewing (ginger she-cat)  
> Medicine Cat: Quietsnow (white she-cat)

Lichentail crept silently through the grass, breathing in the heavy scent of mouse. Just ahead, she could see the tiny critter munching away on a seed, with its back turned to her. She gathered strength in her legs, sprang, and trapped the mouse under her paw. The stunned creature lay still long enough for her to kill it with a quick bite to the neck. 

“Nice catch, Lichentail!” Flarepelt, a white she-cat with ginger patches, called to her. Her coat gleamed like snow and fire in the bright sunlight. 

“Thanks!” Lichentail called back. She picked up the mouse and bounded over to the spot where the hunting patrol was burying their caught prey. She buried it just between a freshly caught sparrow and a robin, and then hurried off to find more. The air felt cool after the recent rain, and sparkling dew drops sprayed up from her paws as she ran. Suddenly, she skidded to a halt and gasped as she saw a black cat with an orange mark on his chest walking up to her, dragging a huge, limp hawk. 

“You caught a hawk?” she exclaimed. The thing was nearly as big as a cat! 

“Swifthawk and I did,” he said. 

“Well, you spotted it, I killed it.” A large light brown tom came strutting proudly out from the bushes. 

“That was so cool!” squeaked Swifthawk’s apprentice, Burningpaw, jumping out after him. “It’s even bigger than the one that tried to carry off Heatherbreeze’s kits!” 

Swifthawk hissed and cuffed his apprentice over the head so hard he fell over. “That’s not funny,” he growled. “Those kits are my younger siblings, remember?” 

“I wasn’t laughing about it!” Burningpaw mumbled into the dirt. He lifted his head. “It was really cool when you and Lightstripe fought it off.” 

“When we fought what off?” Another brown tabby tom came into the clearing, a shrew dangling from his mouth, which he dropped at the sight of the hawk. “Great StarClan! How did you catch that?”

“To be fair, it was weak and old,” Swifthawk admitted. “I snuck up on it and pounced on its back. It tried to bite me, but I got it by the throat!” 

“We better get this thing back to camp so the whole Clan can see!” said Flarepelt. She and Swifthawk helped Shadefire carry the giant bird, while the others picked up the other prey and headed for the ThunderClan camp. The hawk made just as much commotion as predicted. The entire Clan came out to see it. Two kits hid and trembled behind their mother, a long-haired light brown she-cat named Heatherbreeze. 

“Don’t worry, it’s dead,” Heatherbreeze soothed. “It won’t hurt you.” 

“Are we going to eat it?” One of the kits exclaimed, his little eyes growing huge.

“Yes,” said Heatherbreeze with an amused purr. 

“Ha! Take that, stupid hawk!” said the she-kit, coming out from behind her mother to make faces towards the slain bird. The ThunderClan deputy, Redwing, who was Swifthawk’s father, came over, waving his tail proudly and rubbing his cheek against his son’s. 

“This will feed the Clan for moons!” he purred.  
“Well, I don’t know about moons, but it certainly will for a while,” said Swifthawk. He proudly posed over the bird as more cats came to congratulate him.

Lichentail rolled her eyes. Swifthawk was a very skilled warrior, and popular because of it, but personally she didn’t care for the way he showed off. 

“Not impressed?” Lichentail’s former mentor, Foggyheart came up beside her with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“I am, it’s just he’s so arrogant,” Lichentail murmured. 

Foggyheart’s whiskers twitched. “Yeah, he is, kind of,” he admitted with a chuckle. “My sister thinks he’s the greatest, but doesn’t see that Sunstorm is the one that likes her.” 

Lichentail looked over to see Foggyheart’s sister Icefeather standing not too far away, staring at Swifthawk with dreamy looking eyes. 

Lichentail snorted. “Sunstorm’s a better cat for her,” she said. 

“I agree,” Foggyheart whispered. 

Lichentail purred. Her apprenticeship had ended a few moons ago, but she and Foggyheart still remained close. He seemed to be the only other cat in ThunderClan who didn’t think Swifthawk was the greatest. 

“What a catch that has been made today!” The leader of ThunderClan, Sapstar, stood proudly on the Highledge, looking down at his Clan with the sun glowing behind him. He was a dark brown cat with beautiful golden spots. 

“Swifthawk, you truly are your father’s son,” said Sapstar. “I have no doubt that you’ll be deputy like him one day.”

Excited noises and cheers rang through the clearing, except for Lichentail, who winced as Swifthawk stuck his nose up in the air with a cheeky grin. Something about having him as deputy and then possibly leader made her fur stand on end. 

“Now, I’ve got some news to announce to everyone,” said Sapstar. “Redwing has reported to me that his patrol picked up WindClan scent inside our territory.”

The cheerful voices were suddenly replaced with low growls and hisses. 

“Now, the scent was fairly stale, and it seemed there were only a few cats, so it isn’t a huge worry,” said Sapstar. “But I’d still like some extra patrols along the WindClan border, and I will bring it up at the next Gathering.” 

“I won’t let any of those skinny fleabags into our territory!” said Swifthawk, unsheathing his claws and lashing his tail. “You can count on me!” 

The Clan cheered again. Lichentail choked back a laugh, remembering the last battle ThunderClan had with WindClan a few moons ago. Swifthawk had been badly bitten by Olivestar, the WindClan leader, and had screamed like a kit. Of course, most cats seemed to remember Swifthawk’s altered account of the story.

Once the excitement had died down, the cats began to tuck into their fresh kill. Lichentail and Foggyheart each chose a sparrow and sat together at the edge of the camp. Several cats gathered around the hawk to share it. Swifthawk walked over to the nursery with a piece of the meat, laying it down before his younger siblings, Gorsekit and Jumpkit. 

“How do you like it?” he asked as they took a few cautious bites.

“It’s good!” Jumpkit exclaimed. 

“Ha, _we're_ eating _it_ now!” Gorsekit laughed. 

“You sure are,” Swifthawk purred affectionately. 

“Well, you have to admit, he’s good to his younger siblings,” Foggyheart mumbled to Lichentail through a mouthful of sparrow. 

Suddenly, to Lichentail’s surprise, Swifthawk came walking over to them.

“Hey Lichentail,” he said. “Do you want to come and eat with me and the others over by the hawk?”

“Um…” said Lichentail. “Thank you, but I’m comfortable here.”

A glimmer of disappointment showed in Swifthawk’s golden eyes, but he shrugged and said “Suit yourself.”

“What was that all about?” Lichentail shot Foggyheart a confused look. 

Foggyheart rolled his eyes. “He likes to flirt with all the females in this Clan.”

“Ugh!” Lichentail hissed. “I really hope he doesn’t like me.” 

“Just ignore him if he does, and he’ll stop paying attention to you,” said Foggyheart. 

Later that night, Lichentail lay in the middle of the clearing with Flarepelt, Shadefire, and Flarepelt’s brother Sunstorm, staring up at Silverpelt. 

“I wonder if any warriors are looking down on us tonight,” said Flarepelt. 

“I hope my mother is,” said Shadefire. “I miss her.” 

“Do any of you remember Sparkstar, our old leader?” said Sunstorm. “Flarepelt and I were just kits when she died, but I remember her. She had the brightest orange fur!” 

Lichentail shook her head. “I’m four moons younger than you two, remember?” 

“Oh yeah,” said Sunstorm. 

“I remember her,” said Shadefire. “She was the granddaughter of Firestar. My mother told me stories about him. Did you know he was a kittypet who came to join ThunderClan?”

“What? No way!” Sunstorm laughed. “You’re full of it.”

“No, it’s true,” said Shadefire. “He was six moons old when he left his Twolegs and decided to become an apprentice. He became leader when he was still pretty young.”

“Boy, that must have been scary,” said Flarepelt. “Entering a new world you know nothing about, full of dangers you never imagined.” 

“I don’t think he regretted it for a minute,” said Shadefire. “This has got to be a better life than sitting in a Twoleg nest all day eating food that looks and tastes like rabbit droppings.”

“How would you know what rabbit droppings taste like, Shadefire?” Sunstorm teased. 

Shadefire groaned. “You know what I mean.”

“What? Have you eaten rabbit droppings?” Sunstorm purred. 

“Shut your mouth!” Shadefire laughed, pouncing playfully on Sunstorm. Flarepelt and Lichentail watched with amusement as the two toms wrestled. 

“I have to go use the dirtplace,” said Lichentail. “I’ll be right back.” She padded across the clearing, her pale whitish-gray coat glowing softly in the moonlight. As she approached the dirtplace, she twitched her ears, picking up on bits of conversation from the warrior’s den, where several toms were gathered. 

“Who would you want to take as a mate?” 

“Hmm…I don’t know, maybe Flarepelt.” 

“Ha, you know she only has eyes for Shadefire.”

“I think Sleetpaw is really pretty.”

“Batfang, she’s only an apprentice!”

“Yeah, which is why I can’t wait until she becomes a warrior.”

Lichentail let out a horrified gasp as laughter rang throughout the den. She shut her mouth quickly, hoping the toms hadn’t heard. 

“What about you, Swifthawk? You know Icefeather talks about you nonstop.”

“Yeah, I know,” came Swifthawk’s voice. “But I’m not sure I’d take her as a mate. She’s kind of mouse brained.”

“Then who would you take?” 

“Well,” said Swifthawk. “To be honest, I really like Lichentail.”

Lichentail froze, her claws automatically unsheathing and digging into the ground. Her breath caught in her throat as the other toms crooned and laughed. 

“Lichentail’s pretty, yeah,” Swifthawk's friend Batfang agreed. “But I don’t think she’s into toms, or having kits. She’s all about being a warrior, as if she were a tom.” 

“Yes, but who can resist her silver coat?” Swifthawk purred. “It glows like the moon! Can you imagine the kits we’d have? They’d be the prettiest in the Clan! And the most talented, since I’d be their father.”

Lichentail nearly retched up the sparrow she’d eaten earlier. She hurried for the dirtplace, where she crouched and shivered in the dark tunnel.

_I can’t believe how those toms talk_ , she thought. _It’s like they think we she-cats are playthings!_  
Lichentail slid her claws out again, and raked them through the dirt. 

_If Swifthawk thinks he can be my mate, I’ll prove him wrong!_


	2. Chapter 2

“Do you think we’ll have another battle with WindClan?” Lichentail asked Flarepelt as they walked through the forest. The moon was full and high in the sky, indicating it was time for another Gathering.

Flarepelt shrugged. “If the WindClan cats react with hostility about the stolen prey, then I’d say so.”

Lichentail’s mind flashed to her first battle as a warrior, which was with WindClan. She’d felt fully alive as she fought on WindClan’s territory, the moor wind coursing through her fur, and the blood pumping through her ears. She smirked triumphantly as she remembered slashing at a tom that had Flarepelt pinned down, and after the battle, seeing Foggyheart’s blue eyes sparkling with pride at her. 

“I can’t wait to shred those mange pelts!” That was Batfang, Swifthawk’s good friend. The two toms walked up by the she-cats. 

“Hey there, Lichentail, how are you tonight?” Swifthawk purred.

“Uh, fine,” said Lichentail, inching closer to Flarepelt.

“I bet if we battle WindClan again, you’ll do a great job,” said Swifthawk, smiling broadly at her. “Last time, you took on a tom twice your size!”

There was something in Swifthawk’s deep golden eyes that made Lichentail want to slide out her claws, but she held her ground.

“Thanks, and I’ll do it again!” Lichentail sprinted away towards the front of the line of cats, until she was next to Foggyheart.

“Swifthawk’s at it again,” she whispered in his ear. 

“Oh dear,” said Foggyheart. “Well like I said, ignore him.”

“Was Swifthawk talking to you?” Icefeather walked past, her eyes gleaming with jealousy. 

Lichentail shrugged. “Yeah, he’s just wishing us all good luck if we have to battle WindClan again.”

“No he wasn’t!” Icefeather growled. “I saw that look in his eyes as he stared at you.”

“Icefeather, leave her alone,” said Foggyheart firmly. “She’s stressed right now.”

Icefeather grunted and marched away, casting a glare over her shoulder at Lichentail.

“Sorry about that,” Foggyheart grunted. He slung his tail over Lichentail’s shoulders comfortingly. “Don’t listen to these mouse brained cats.” 

Soon they had reached the island where the Gatherings held place. WindClan and RiverClan were already there. Their leaders, Olivestar and Coldstar, were sitting up in the trees, staring down at the new arrivals. Lichentail couldn’t help but feel a slight shudder—even though she’d been to a Gathering many times, she couldn’t get used to the looming presence of the leaders, who seemed almost like unnatural beings as they watched the crowd below with gleaming eyes. The deputies and medicine cats were gathered around the base of the trees. Rosefall, Flarepelt’s sister, followed her mentor Deerpelt over to the medicine cats, and began chatting with a mottled gray cat that looked like a new apprentice. 

Sapstar scurried up a tree, heaving himself onto a branch near Olivestar. He showed no anger towards the wiry golden brown tom, keeping himself perfectly expressionless as he balanced himself. 

“Where’s ShadowClan?” Lichentail heard Burningpaw say. “They’re late. Do you think they all died?” 

“We couldn’t possibly be that blessed,” said Swifthawk, earning snickers from several other warriors. Lichentail snorted and sat as close to Foggyheart and Flarepelt as she could. A few moments later, the ShadowClan cats came walking across the log, led by a huge ginger tom, Scorchstar.

“Aw man,” said Burningpaw, which got a few more giggles. 

“Hush!” snapped Lightstripe, who was Burningpaw’s father. He glared at his son and the younger warriors. “The Gathering is about to start.”

After Scorchstar had climbed into the trees, a yowl from the eldest leader, Coldstar, signaled everyone to be quiet. 

“All is well in RiverClan,” he said. “A new litter of kits was just born, and we have a new medicine cat apprentice, Pebblepaw, to be training under Fernlight.”

“Pebblepaw! Pebblepaw!” the cats cheered. Up ahead, Pebbelpaw ducked shyly behind the RiverClan medicine cat, a light brown tabby with soft green eyes. She gently nosed her apprentice, murmuring encouraging words to her. 

Lichentail purred. Everyone liked Fernlight—she was known by all the Clans for her kind, gentle nature and gorgeous eyes. Pebblepaw was blessed to have her as a mentor.  
Scorchstar went next, but didn’t have much to report, other than a few rogues his Clan had driven out. Then Olivestar spoke.

“WindClan has two new warriors, Foxflash and Badgerfang. They are some of the bravest cats I’ve ever seen, and earned their warrior names after they drove a dog out of our territory!”

“Foxflash! Badgerfang!” the crowd chanted, except most of the ThunderClan cats stayed quiet. Lichentail peered around Foggyheart to see the two new warriors standing in the center of the clearing. One was a lean red tom, and the other was a huge black and white tom. Both of them were grinning and bearing sharp fangs, their eyes glistening. Lichentail’s fur bristled. 

“Those are some fierce new warriors,” Foggyheart mumbled in her ear, sharing her thoughts. 

Then it was Sapstar’s turn. The ThunderClan warriors tensed up as Sapstar walked to the end of his branch and fixed Olivestar with a hard gaze. 

“There is something we need to address, Olivestar,” he said calmly. “A few days ago, my warriors scented WindClan scent inside our territory.” 

The air went still and quiet, and pelts bristled as the ThunderClan and WindClan cats exchanged sudden glares. 

“I am sorry,” said Olivestar, dipping his head to Sapstar. “I am not aware that any of my warriors went into your territory, but I will tell them to stay out of it. Prey has been scarce lately, but I will make sure my warriors are hunting elsewhere than ThunderClan’s territory.” 

“It better not be our territory,” Coldstar growled. Some of the RiverClan cats began to hiss. 

“No, it will not,” said Olivestar coolly. 

“I can tell when a cat is lying,” said Scorchstar, narrowing his eyes at Olivestar. “You know about your warriors hunting on ThunderClan’s territory, you just don’t care.” 

“This doesn’t concern you,” Olivestar hissed. 

Scorchstar shrugged. “I’m just saying ThunderClan should watch their backs.” 

“Are you threatening us?” Sapstar growled at Scorchstar. 

Scorchstar’s dark orange eyes glinted in the moonlight. “Who knows?” he said.

The island became alive with raised hackles and hisses. Burningpaw was staring off with a WindClan apprentice, both lashing their tails and baring their fangs. Suddenly, a shadow was cast over the island. Lichentail looked up to see a large cloud floating in front of the moon. 

“That’s StarClan’s signal for this Gathering to end!” barked Coldstar. 

“Any cat that dares tread on our territory will regret it!” Sapstar spat, before scrambling down the tree. 

“Come on,” said Lightstripe sternly to Burningpaw, who was still hissing at the WindClan apprentice. He grabbed his son by the scruff and pulled him away. 

“Don’t worry, Burningpaw,” said Swifthawk, coming up to his apprentice. “We’ll get our claws in those WindClan pelts soon enough.” 

“We can hear you, you know!” spat a WindClan she-cat. 

Lichentail unsheathed her claws as she walked among her Clanmates, curling her lip defiantly at the she-cat. 

“That’s quite a vicious face for a she-cat!” She jumped as she realized Swifthawk was next to her again. 

“Whoa!” he cried as her claws narrowly missed his ear. “Careful there!”

“You startled me during a tense situation,” Lichentail hissed. 

“I’m impressed, you have the ferocity of a tom,” Swifthawk purred. “Those WindClan warriors will fear both you and me.”

Lichentail raised away, nearly skidding into Foggyheart and Flarepelt. 

“Is there something going on between you and Swifthawk?” Flarepelt asked curiously. 

“No,” Lichentail spat. “No there is not.”


	3. Chapter 3

In the days that passed, ThunderClan prepared for more trouble from WindClan, but there was no scent or sign of them. It appeared that Sapstar’s warning had gotten to them, or because it rained heavily for a few days, chilling the warm Newleaf air and keeping the warriors in their dens. Finally, the sun came out again. 

“I thought I’d never see the light again,” Lichentail purred as she rolled in the soft grass. She and Flarepelt had just gotten back from patrol, and were sitting with Flarepelt’s parents, Amberclaw and Oakflower, by the elder’s den. 

“I can’t believe our daughter is a medicine cat,” Oakflower purred, watching Rosefall talk with Deerpelt over by the medicine den. “I’m so proud of her.” 

“Hey, I’m your daughter too, and a warrior,” Flarepelt reminded her. 

“Oh yes, we are proud of you too,” said Amberclaw warmly. “And your brother as well.”

“Hey there,” said Oakflower suddenly. They turned around to see Burningpaw and Sleetpaw carrying wads of moss dripping with mouse bile.  
“Here for apprentice duty?” Oakflower purred.

“Yeah,” Burningpaw grumbled. “Okay, either of you got fleas?”

“I think I have some down by my tail,” said Oakflower. 

Burningpaw pressed the wad of bile against Oakflower’s tail, making a disgusted face, while Sleetpaw pulled a tick off of Amberclaw’s ear. 

“So, Lichentail,” said Oakflower. “Flarepelt says that you and Swifthawk have been talking lately.” 

“N…no,” said Lichentail, shooting a surprised glare at Flarepelt. “He…he just likes me, but I don’t like him back.” 

“Why not?” Flarepelt tilted her head to the side. “He seems like a nice cat.” 

“Yeah, but…I’m not in love with him,” said Lichentail. “I just became a warrior, I’m not interested in finding a mate and having kits yet.” 

As she said that, she heard a screeching wail come up from the nursery, and saw Heatherbreeze carrying Jumpkit in by the scruff. The little ginger kit kicked his legs and screamed, “I don’t want to take a nap!”

“I don’t either!” Gorsekit whined. 

“You two have been driving me insane all day, so you are both taking a nap, and that’s final!” Heatherbreeze snapped. 

“No!” Gorsekit flung herself down in the grass. “I won’t! You can’t make me!” 

Lichentail looked back at her friends. “Can you see why I don’t want kits?” 

Oakflower let out an amused purr. “They can be work. I raised three kits. Flarepelt and Sunstorm always wanted to wrestle with each other, even before they opened their eyes.”

“But they really are a blessing,” said Amberclaw. “It’s worth it to see them grow up into apprentices, and then into warriors.” 

Lichentail turned her head as she heard cats coming into the clearing. The latest hunting patrol was back—among them were her own parents, Silverlily and Stonestorm. 

“Oh, they’re back,” said Lichentail, standing up and hurrying across the clearing, grateful to have an excuse to end the conversation. 

“Hey, Lichentail!” Silverlily purred as she dropped a mouse on the fresh kill pile. “How was your day?”

“Not very eventful,” said Lichentail. “But it’s nice to be out after so many rainy days.” 

Lichentail and her parents each took a piece of fresh kill and lay in a shady spot together. As they were eating, a group of warriors passed by, including Swifthawk, who winked at Lichentail. Lichentail nearly spat out her food in disgust. 

“Lichentail seems to really like you,” said Silverlily. 

“I can tell,” Lichentail growled. 

“Do you not like him?” Stonestorm asked.

“Not really,” said Lichentail. “I just became a warrior. I don’t want to rush into finding a mate.” 

“You know, I fell in love with your father when I was about your age,” said Silverlily. 

“Well, I’m not you,” Lichentail retorted. 

“Can you imagine if Swifthawk became deputy?” Silverlily went on, ignoring Lichentail. “If you had kits, you’d have the deputy’s kits!” 

“So?” Lichentail snorted. 

Silverlily narrowed her eyes. “You don’t think that sounds wonderful?”

“I’d rather choke on crowfood than mate with Swifthawk,” Lichentail growled. 

“Don’t use such harsh language!” Silverlily scolded. “Swifthawk is much better quality than a lot of the toms here. Do you know how disrespectful Batfang used to be to his mother as a kit? But Swifthawk treats his younger siblings as if they were his own kits.” 

“I’m sure you’ll find your mate when the time is right,” said Stonestorm, blinking warmly at his daughter. “You’re very young, and you have time to do everything you want.” 

Lichentail sent her father a thankful glance. Silverlily opened her mouth again, as if to argue, when a loud yowl rang out. Suddenly, Lightstripe came racing into the camp, crying out, “WindClan is on our territory!” 

Everyone stood up and listened as Sapstar came out of his den and sprang down from the Highledge. Redwing came over to join him and Lightstripe, lashing his tail. “Where are they?” the deputy hissed.

“It was a huge gang of them, near the tunnels! The new warriors, Foxflash and Badgerfang, jumped us…and the deputy was leading them!” Lightstripe panted. Lichentail was startled to realize he was bleeding from a scratch on his shoulder. “They attacked us! Foggyheart, Duskfeather, and Icefeather are fighting them, but we’re outnumbered! They told me to get help!” 

Lichentail gasped at the mention of her former mentor. She immediately ran over to where the senior warriors were, crying out, “Can I go? I have to help Foggyheart!” 

Sapstar nodded. “Okay, listen up! If I call your name, line up by the entrance!” 

Besides Redwing, Lightstripe, and Lichentail, Sapstar chose Stonestorm, Shadefire, Flarepelt, and Sunstorm to join the attack. The rest were ordered to guard the camp. Lichentail felt a great sense of relief when Sapstar did not pick Swifthawk to come with them, but she still clawed at the ground impatiently, her chest tight with anxiety for Foggyheart. He was a skilled warrior, but Foxflash and Badgerfang’s vicious faces flashed into Lichentail’s mind. 

“Alright, let’s head out!” Sapstar ordered. They raced through the thorn tunnel leading out of the camp and hurried out towards the moor. Blood roared in Lichentail’s ears as she ran, her father and Flarepelt at her side. 

“Be safe!” Stonestorm panted. “I know you’ll do good!”

“You too!” Lichentail replied. 

It wasn’t long before they heard the enraged screeching and yowls of fighting cats. When they came to the edge of ThunderClan’s territory, where the trees thinned out into moorland, they caught sight of flashing claws and bloody pelts. Lichentail looked around for Foggyheart, but couldn’t see him. 

“Slickpelt!” Redwing went charging right for the WindClan deputy, a greasy furred gray tom who had Duskfeather pinned down. He knocked him off his paws, and the two deputies rolled away in a whirl of fangs and claws. Meanwhile, Sunstorm went for a tom who was clawing at Icefeather. Lichentail suddenly spotted Foggyheart. With a jolt, she realized he was bleeding heavily from the mouth and ear, and panting. Foxflash and Badgerfang had him cornered against a boulder, sneering at him. 

“No!” Lichentail threw herself at Foxflash and latched onto his back. The red tom yowled and spun around, flinging her off. Lichentail tumbled over in the grass and splayed out on her side. Foxflash sprang over and raked his claws down her side. She screeched as red hot pain flashed through her, and blood sprayed up into the air. She tried to get up, but Foxflash held her down. 

“You’re not going anywhere,” he sneered, his claws digging into Lichentail’s shoulder and his hot, stinky breath airing into her face. Suddenly, he was knocked off his paws. Lichentail got to hers and saw that Foggyheart and Foxflash were fighting, both reared up on their hind legs and swiping at each other with their forepaws. Foggyheart caught Foxflash under the eye with his claws. The red tom screeched and staggered backwards, but then all of a sudden, the huge Badgerfang came out of nowhere and bowled Foggyheart over. 

“No!” Lichentail tried again. She sprang at Badgerfang, but was intercepted by a brown tabby. The tom rolled her over in the dirt, and grabbed ahold of her throat. Lichentail reached out with her hind legs and clawed at a gash in the tom’s belly. He yowled and let go, and then Lichentail slammed her head into his chin, sending him flying.  
She jumped up, and sprinted back over towards Foggyheart. With a jolt of terror, she realized she couldn’t see him under the writhing bodies of Foxflash and Badgerfang. Then, Foxflash reared back his head and turned to her with a nasty grin. His muzzle was soaked in blood. Badgerfang stepped back to reveal Foggyheart lying limply in the grass, a large gash torn in his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A family tree, to show who is related to who 
> 
> http://i.imgur.com/UNRaRpU.png


	4. Chapter 4

Lichentail heard a terrifying, almost unnatural screeching cry as she flung herself at Foxflash. It took a moment to realize it was coming from her own throat. She crashed into the red tom, sending him rolling. She went straight for his throat, but he swiftly tore a chunk from her ear. As Lichentail was immobilized by pain, Foxflash pinned her down. 

“Say hello to your friend for me,” he sneered, yellow eyes glinting, until suddenly he was knocked off his paws. Lichentail gasped to see Stonestorm writhing on the ground with Foxflash. Her father pinned the smaller tom down and grabbed his throat in his jaws. Foxflash let out a raspy, choking gasp. 

“Do you want to breathe again?” Stonestorm snarled through a mouthful of fur. “Then get out of our territory.” 

He let Foxflash go. The red tom jumped to his paws and fled towards the moor, over towards the gaping entrances to the tunnels connecting WindClan and ThunderClan. Lichentail went straight after him. She wasn’t going to let him get away, he had to die…

Stonestorm stood in her way. “Let him go, Lichentail!” he said. 

“He…he killed Foggyheart!” Lichentail wailed. 

“That doesn’t mean we should stoop to his level,” said Stonestorm. 

Suddenly, Badgerfang went racing past them, as Flarepelt and Shadefire clawed at his flanks. 

“RETREAT!” Slickpelt yowled, and more WindClan cats went racing away, their blood spraying across the short grass as they ran, disappearing into the shadows of the tunnels. 

“We won!” Sunstorm yowled. 

Lichentail turned around and staggered towards Foggyheart, the pain in her ear and side almost unbearable. Stonestorm tried to get her to lean on him for support, but she shoved him away, hobbling towards the body of her mentor. 

_It can’t be true…he can’t be gone…I must have been seeing things…_

But when she approached, she saw what she’d seen before, but refused to believe. Foggyheart was lying there, with a pool of blood spreading out from a deep gash in his throat. His blue eyes stared blankly ahead, his teeth and claws still bared. 

“Foggyheart,” said Lichentail in a barely audible voice. “Foggyheart, no. Don’t do this to me. Don’t leave me.” 

Other warriors were suddenly noticing Foggyheart’s dead body. Icefeather, his sister, threw back her head and let out a chilling wail. 

“Oh…oh Lichentail…” Flarepelt gasped. 

Lichentail threw herself on top of her mentor, burying her face into his fur.

“Foggyheart!” she sobbed. “Foggyheart, don’t leave me, please!”

She felt her father’s chin on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Lichentail,” he soothed. “But he’s gone. He walks with StarClan now.”

“They murdered him!” Lichentail wailed. “How could they?” 

“I know,” said Stonestorm, licking his daughter’s ears tenderly. “It isn’t fair. But we have to get his body back to camp now. Let’s go take him home.” 

Stonestorm and Lichentail carried Foggyheart’s body in between them. Icefeather walked beside them, whimpering and nuzzling her brother’s face. Hot blood from Foggyheart’s throat dripped down Lichentail’s shoulder and trickled down her foreleg, but she hardly noticed. Her mind was filled with white fog. Flarepelt and Shadefire stayed close to them, casting sad, sympathetic looks at Lichentail. Sapstar and Redwing went ahead and entered the camp first, to tell the Clan what had happened. When they arrived, everyone was gathered around, gasping in horror at the sight of their slain Clanmate. 

“Those foxhearted brutes!” Swifthawk yowled from in the crowd. “They’ll pay for this!” 

Lichentail was barely aware of the rest of the day playing out. She sat by Foggyheart’s body the whole time, helping the elders and Icefeather brush his coat with rosemary and other herbs, but the reeking scent of blood was still there. She didn’t know how long she sat there, with her face buried in Foggyheart’s gray and white fur. She lost herself in her memories—Foggyheart taking her out into the forest for the first time as an apprentice, praising her when she caught her first prey, keeping her close to him when a ShadowClan patrol attacked the ThunderClan camp, comforting her afterwards, and then moons later, the two of them fighting an enemy cat together and being victorious. Then there were times in between training, where they relaxed in the sun together, or play fought, and teased each other. Foggyheart hadn’t just been her mentor…he’d been her best friend. And now he was gone. 

“Lichentail.” That was Silverlily, talking to her gently. “It’s time to bury him.” 

Lichentail helped the senior warriors carry his body out of the camp. She felt as though she were in a dream as she watched Foggyheart’s body being lowered into a shallow hole in the ground, then disappear forever under a wave of dirt. She sat down next to the grave, staring at the dirt. The other cats tried to get her to leave, but she wouldn’t. She stayed out until the moon was high in the sky. Silverlily and Stonestorm finally came and coaxed her back into camp. She fell asleep in the warrior’s den curled up between her parents, fitfully dreaming of a star filled sky, and Foggyheart running freely through it. 

 

“Hey, Lichentail.”  
Lichentail looked up from the shrew she was trying to eat. She hadn't been able to get anything down since the battle yesterday. Silverlily finally insisted that she eat something, and was sitting and watching to make sure she did. Standing above her was Swifthawk.

“I’m really sorry about Foggyheart.” He brushed his tail along her flank. “I know how much he meant to you. We’re going to get those foxhearts back for killing him, I promise.” 

Lichentail blinked, for once touched by Swifthawk’s words. “Thanks,” she said softly.

Swifthawk padded away, and Silverlily smiled. “See? He really is nice,” she said.

Silverlily ignored her and took a mouthful of crow. She sank her teeth deep into its flesh, imagining it was Foxflash’s throat.

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around for a Clan meeting!” Sapstar called from the Highledege. 

Lichentail took one last bite of her crow, and then walked with Silverlily to the crowd forming under the Highledge. 

“I want to go to the meeting too!” Jumpkit cried, racing over from the nursery. He wailed in protest as Heatherbreeze grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him away, and then reached out a paw to stop Gorsekit from running away as well. 

Lichentail grunted, once again not envying Heatherbreeze. She looked up at the Highledge where Sapstar was speaking. 

“WindClan has done us a great injustice, walking into our territory and murdering one of our warriors!” he spoke. “They are not acting like Clan cats, but we will remind them of the warrior code!”

Yowls rang around everywhere, with Lichentail joining in, yelling “Foggyheart!”

“We are going to increase patrols along the WindClan border, with double the amount of warriors as usual, about four or five a day,” said Sapstar. “Hopefully they’ve learned their lesson, but we’ll see.” 

Sapstar then organized a patrol to head out right away. Lichentail was among those chosen, as well as Swifthawk. But she didn’t care this time—she hoped one of those WindClan brutes would show themselves, and she could sink her claws into them. 

They walked past the area where the battle had been—tufts of fur and blood were still everywhere, and the WindClan scent was stale. It seemed as though patrols were staying clear of that area. Lichentail let out a quiet hiss, feeling disappointed. She was dying to slash at one of those mangy beasts. 

“Well, since it doesn’t seem like they’re here, why don’t we hunt?” suggested Redwing, who was leading the patrol. 

At least Lichentail could take her fury out on the prey. She stalked the scent of a rabbit that had wandered over the ThunderClan border, into the thick cover of the trees. 

“What are you tracking?” Swifthawk’s voice made her jump. She whirled around to face him and hissed. “Can’t you see I’m hunting?” 

“Well maybe I can help,” said Swifthawk. “You’ve been so sad lately. I thought maybe you wanted some company.”

“I’m fine,” said Lichentail through gritted teeth. “Go away.” 

“I know you’re upset about Foggyheart,” said Swifthawk, ignoring her request. “It’s like I said, we’ll…”

Lichentail lashed out with her claws and caught the tip of Swifthawk’s ear. He yelped as a tiny bead of blood welled up from it. He narrowed his golden eyes and growled...for one moment Lichentail braced for him to attack, but then he turned and sprinted away, joining Batfang and Sunstorm. 

“What happened to you?” Lichentail heard Sunstorm ask.

“I got rejected,” Swifthawk replied. 

Murmurs of sympathy came from Sunstorm and Batfang. Lichentail bared her fangs in fury as she continued to follow the rabbit trail. Why did everyone like this piece of fox dung?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where things could get triggering for some readers. I went as light on details as possible, but I'm still giving a warning.

Lichentail sprang from a clump of ferns, landing squarely on a thrush. The bird squawked as Lichentail crushed its throat with her claws. 

“Nice, Lichentail!” Flarepelt came running over, a mouse dangling from her jaws. She put it down and narrowed her eyes at it. “All I’ve been able to find today are these stupid tiny things.”

Lichentail licked the blood from her claws, wishing it were the blood of Foxflash or Badgerfang. It had been half a moon since they’d killed Foggyheart, but there hadn’t been any sign of WindClan since. 

“So, I’ve got some news to tell you,” said Flarepelt, lowering her voice.

“Oh no,” Lichentail gasped. “What is it?”

“No, no, it’s good news!” said Flarepelt. She paused for a moment, then whispered, “Last night, Shadefire told me he loved me…and I told him I loved him too.” 

Lichentail gasped, this time happily. “Oh, Flarepelt, that’s amazing!” 

“I know,” said Flarepelt. She quivered slightly. “It’s exciting, but….I’m kind of nervous, you know? The rest of the Clan doesn’t seem to know yet. I guess I’ll tell my parents next.”

“Flarepelt.” Lichentail rolled her eyes. “Everyone knows already. You two spend every moment together!”

“Oh…uh, I guess that’s true,” said Flarepelt. 

“Shadefire is great,” Lichentail agreed. 

“Yes, he is,” Flarepelt purred. “I don’t think we’ll be having kits for a while though. We’re still pretty young.” 

“I’m happy for you,” Lichentail purred back, touching her tail tip to her friend’s.

“What about you and Swifthawk?” Flarepelt asked. “How are things going between you two?”

Lichentail’s brief good mood disappeared as suddenly as it went. She scowled at Flarepelt. “We’re not a couple,” she growled. 

“Oh…I’m sorry. I thought you were,” said Flarepelt.

“Did you not hear that I scratched his ear when he wouldn’t leave me alone during a hunt?” Lichentail hissed. “He hasn’t talked to me since.” 

“I’m sorry,” said Flarepelt, lowering her head. “I understand. I’m sorry that happened, I didn’t know.” 

“It’s okay.” Lichentail gave her friend a forgiving lick. “It’s not your fault. He seemed to have everyone convinced I liked him back.” 

“Well, I’m glad he’s leaving you alone now,” said Flarepelt. “Oh! I just remembered, Shadefire wanted to show me a battle move. I’ll see you later, okay?”

“See you,” said Lichentail as her friend disappeared into the bushes. She buried her thrush, and then followed the trail of a squirrel. Greenleaf had arrived early—the leaves were nice and lush, casting the forest in green, dappled shadows. Lichentail followed the trail deep into the forest, where the trees became thick and the ground was cool and shady. It felt great, since it had been quite hot lately. Lichentail saw the squirrel’s fluffy tail disappear behind a bush. She crept forward, trying to keep weight off her paws. Suddenly, she heard a twig snap behind her. She whirled around, but saw nothing there.

“Hello?” she called. “Who’s there?” 

No one answered. Lichentail turned back to the trail, hoping the noise hadn’t scared the squirrel away. She peered around the bush, and to her relief, the creature was there, nibbling at an acorn. She sprang, landed on the squirrel, and bit its neck. 

“Nice catch!” 

Lichentail dropped the squirrel and twisted around to see Swifthawk just a tail length away.

“What are you doing here?” she cried. “Have you been following me?” 

Swifthawk shrugged. 

“That’s creepy!” Lichentail spat. “If you don’t leave me alone, I’ll tell Redwing you’re stalking me!” 

“Do you think he’ll believe you?” Swifthawk narrowed his eyes. “I’m his son. He’ll take my word over yours.” 

“Get away from me!” Lichentail turned and ran, forgetting her squirrel. She heard Swifthawk’s heavy pawsteps thundering behind her. She put on speed, flattening her body to the ground as she headed for the ThunderClan camp. She opened her jaws to cry for help, but suddenly felt a heavy weight drop on her. She rolled in the dirt, clawing at Swifthawk, but he had his forelegs wrapped tightly around her neck and wouldn’t let go. She tried to bite him, but he kicked her in the side, where her slashes from the last battle were still healing, and she collapsed on her stomach. Swifthawk straddled her with his hind legs, his forelegs still wrapped around her neck. Lichentail tried to bite him, but he pressed her face down into a thick clump of grass. She cried out for help, but it was muffled. 

“Listen to me.” Swifthawk’s hot breath stirred Lichentail’s ear fur. “You are _mine_. I will be deputy someday, and then leader, so I will get what I want.”

He grabbed her scruff in his teeth, forcing her muscles to relax. She whimpered helplessly as her legs went limp.

Lichentail didn’t know how long it lasted for. Regardless, it seemed to go on forever. She refused to process what was going on, even though in the corner of her mind, she knew. She breathed in the sweet, dewy scent of the grass, trying to keep herself calm.

Finally, it was over. She didn’t even realize at first, until Swifthawk released her and she fell over on her side, letting out a gasp. She felt as though she’d just been pulled out of deep, cold water. The slashes on her side burned, and were bleeding once more. 

“Are you alright?” He leaned his face into hers. 

“Get away from me!” He jumped back just before she clawed his face. 

“Okay, okay,” said Swifthawk. He stepped a ways back, then sat and groomed his chest fur. 

_How can he just act like nothing happened?_ Lichentail laid there, staring at him in horror. 

“We both smell terrible,” said Swifthawk. “I know some flowers we can roll in to mask this scent.” 

Lichentail didn’t know what to say. She just nodded. She wanted to claw his fur off, but she felt too exhausted to move…as well as a very odd, resigned feeling she didn’t understand. Swifthawk nosed her to her feet, and she let him lead her to a patch of lavender in a patch of sunlight. Swifthawk threw himself in them and rolled around, purring delightedly. Lichentail followed, surprised at how wonderful these flowers smelled up close, and was grateful for the beam of sunlight warming her coat. 

Then, they walked back to camp. Lichentail had forgotten about the kills she’d buried. She watched as Swithawk killed a raven, feeling dizzy and dreamlike. As they got nearer to the camp, Swifthawk suddenly snarled in her ear, “Don’t bother telling anyone what happened. They won’t believe you.” Then, he went ahead of her, walking through the camp entrance with his raven clutched in his jaws, leaving her all alone.

“Lichentail!” She looked over her shoulder to see Flarepelt and Shadefire coming up behind her. 

“You were with Swifthawk?” Flarepelt asked confusedly. 

Lichentail shrugged. “He was just helping me hunt.” 

Flarepelt exchanged glances with Shadefire. Both their eyes seemed to sparkle.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Flarepelt purred. Lichentail’s heart sank. 

“Didn’t you have fresh kill, though?” Flarepelt asked. 

“Oh…I forgot about it,” said Lichentail. “I’ll go back for it.”

“Are you okay?” Shadefire asked. “You don’t look so good.”

“I…I think I ate a bad squirrel this morning,” said Lichentail. “My stomach’s starting to hurt.” 

Flarepelt gasped. “You’re bleeding!”

“Oh!” Lichentail pretended to notice the blood on her side for the first time, and lapped at it. “I think scratched my side on a tree branch,” she lied. 

“You should go see Deerpelt or Rosefall after you retrieve your prey,” said Flarepelt.

“Of course,” Lichentail mumbled. She then headed off into the woods, trying to retrace her steps, but she was wobbly on her paws and felt disoriented. She eventually found the squirrel, which was being picked apart by crows. She didn’t have the energy to chase them off. She wandered past the area where it had happened…it still had a distinct smell to it. Lichentail lurched forward and vomited into the grass. She gagged as the liquid burned her throat and mouth. She staggered on ahead, eventually finding the thrush. Earlier it smelled delicious, but now the scent of food made her gag. She picked up the thrush and carried it home, giving that one area a very wide berth. When she finally reached the camp, she stumbled through the entrance.

“Whoa!” Stonestorm was there, and caught her with his shoulder as she fell. “Are you okay?” 

“I don’t feel good,” Lichentail moaned. “My…stomach hurts.” 

“Let’s get you to the medicine den.” Stonestorm’s deep, gentle voice lulled her as he walked her over there. She pressed her muzzle into her father’s warm shoulder. Deerpelt met them at the entrance, and she was led inside and onto a bed of moss. She was vaguely aware of Deerpelt and Rosefall asking her questions, but she didn’t care. She wanted to die.


	6. Chapter 6

Lichentail lay there for a long time, unresponsive as Deerpelt and Rosefall rubbed herbs on her hurt side and got her to eat watermint to soothe her stomach. She chewed them bitterly, knowing they would do nothing. 

“Lichentail?” Rosefall asked gently. “Can you talk to us?”

Lichentail grunted. 

“Okay, when did you start to feel bad?” 

“As I was coming back from my hunt. I think the squirrel I ate yesterday was bad,” murmured Lichentail. “It tasted weird.” 

“Okay then,” said Rosefall. “What about the blood on your side?”

“I scratched it on a tree branch where Foxflash clawed me,” Lichentail replied. 

Suddenly, Deerpelt got up and went to the entrance of the den. Lichentail shuddered as she suddenly heard Swifthawk’s voice.

“Is Lichentail okay? What’s wrong with her?”

“She has a bad stomachache,” Deerpelt replied. “We’re taking care of her, don’t worry.” 

“Can I come in?” 

“No, we’re busy,” Deerpelt snapped. 

Lichentail sighed with relief as she heard Swifthawk pad away, for once grateful for the older she-cat’s strict attitude. She stayed in the mossy bed for the rest of the day, unwilling to talk to anyone, not even her parents when they came to see her. She shared tongues with them briefly, but remained silent. As night fell outside, Rosefall and Deerpelt looked her over again.

“Is the watermint helping any?” Deerpelt asked.

“Somewhat,” Lichentail murmured. “I’m still in pain.” 

Deerpelt narrowed her eyes, as if she suspected Lichentail wasn’t telling the truth. 

Rosefall touched her nose to her pelt. “That’s odd, she doesn’t have a fever,” she said to Deerpelt. 

“Well, let’s keep an eye on her tonight and see how she is in the morning,” said Deerpelt. 

Lichentail closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep forever. She didn’t want to see or hear Swifthawk ever again. 

_Oh Foggyheart…I wish you were here…_ she thought. 

The next morning, Lichentail felt slightly more clearheaded, although she told the medicine cats that her stomach still hurt. They got her to eat more watermint, and offered her water and a mouse. She drank the water, but refused the mouse. She just wanted to stay in the cool, shady medicine den, away from Swifthawk, for as long as she could. But she knew she couldn’t stay in there forever. Lichentail took a nap and dozed fitfully. Swifthawk’s face flashed in and out of her mind.

“You’re _mine _,” his voice whispered into her ear once more.__

__Lichentail woke up with a shriek._ _

__“Are you okay?” Rosefall came hurrying over to her._ _

__“Yeah…I just had a bad dream,” Lichentail replied._ _

__“Hey, Rosefall!” Lichentail froze as she heard his voice once more._ _

__“Lichentail is okay, don’t worry!” Rosefall called back._ _

__“Can I see her?”_ _

__Rosefall looked to Lichentail, who shook her head. Lichentail let out a sigh of relief as Rosefall nodded, and then called back, “She’s not in the mood for visitors, sorry!”__

Rosefall stroked Lichentail’s side with her tail, saying, “He’s been asking multiple times how you are. He’s really worried about you.” 

__For the first time, Lichentail wondered if what Swifthawk really said to her was true…if no one would believe her if she told them what happened. How would Redwing react if he knew what his son had done to her? Would he punish Swifthawk, or would he blame her? She couldn’t imagine Sapstar announcing Swifthawk’s deed to the entire Clan, telling everybody publicly what they did in the forest…if he even thought that was worth announcing. He’d probably just give Swifthawk a stern talking to, but maybe her too. Did this happen all the time to she-cats, and they were supposed to just say nothing? She didn’t know the rules, and she was too scared to ask._ _

__Lichentail unsheathed her claws. Whatever the rules, she wanted to kill him. If she could just get him alone…but she knew that wouldn’t work. He was twice her size, and had already overpowered her before._ _

__At sunset, she finally left the den. Her parents and Flarepelt came running over to her, asking her if she was okay, and did she need anything? Thankfully, Swifthawk was on patrol. Lichentail chose a mouse from the fresh kill pile, and sat to eat with her parents._ _

__“Thank Star Clan your appetite is back,” purred Stonestorm. “We were worried. Deerpelt said it could be something serious.”_ _

__“Yeah, I guess I just needed to wait for it to pass,” said Lichentail. She held back a gasp as she saw the patrol return, and Swifthawk came racing over to her._ _

__“Are you okay, Lichentail?” he gasped._ _

__“Yes. I’m fine,” she said curtly._ _

__“Oh, thank StarClan! I’m sorry I didn’t realize something was wrong when we were out hunting, you should have told me!” he exclaimed._ _

_You fox hearted piece of mouse dung, I should shred you._

__Lichentail resisted the urge to unsheathe her claws, and just muttered, “Sorry,” before taking another bite of mouse._ _

__Mercifully, Swifthawk walked away after that. Silverlily purred. “He was so worried about you. He kept pacing around near the medicine den, until Redwing made him go on patrol!”_ _

__Lichentail nearly vomited up her mouse._ _

__“Are you okay?” Stonestorm gasped._ _

__“Yeah…it’s just hard to eat,” said Lichentail. She passed the rest of the mouse to her father. “Here, you can finish it, I’m going to sleep.”_ _

__Lichentail hurried off to the warrior’s den, ignoring their questions. She lay down at the entrance, watching the camp from afar. Everyone seemed so happy and peaceful, sitting together and sharing tongues and laughing. Flarepelt and Shadefire were playfully wrestling as Sunstorm and Icefeather cheered them on. Lichentail’s heart sank into her stomach. She envied them so much right now._ _

__Over by the nursery, Swifthawk was playing with Gorsekit and Jumpkit. He let the kits jump on him, stomping around and pretending to be a badger, as they squealed with laughter. Heatherbreeze watched them with a loving gaze._ _

__How would his mother react if she knew? What if Gorsekit and Jumpkit knew?_ _

__She couldn’t imagine telling any of these cats the truth. How would they ever believe that their beloved warrior made her feel so scared, helpless, and ashamed? The only cat who would have listened was Foggyheart._ _

_Oh, I miss you…_ she thought once more as she drifted off to sleep. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Hey, Lichentail, you okay?”

Lichentail opened her eyes to see the white face of Sleetpaw peering into the warrior’s den. 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. 

“Oh…okay. Sunstorm is telling a really funny story if you want to come hear.” 

Lichentail sighed as Sleetpaw scampered away. It had been a half moon since the incident, and even though Swifthawk had been busy lately and not paid much attention to her, she wasn’t feeling any better. In fact, she was starting to feel worse. She was oddly sleepy and had little energy. She struggled to keep up on patrols, and curled up for naps in between her duties. She hadn’t even felt like hanging out with her friends. Flarepelt and Shadefire were too distracted by each other to notice. She felt betrayed. Right now, most of the Clan was off at a Gathering. She could hear Sunstorm and a few others off in the distance laughing. Lichentail got to her paws and stretched. She figured she’d go listen to the funny story—she needed a laugh. 

Lichentail lumbered across the camp to see Sunstorm talking to Sleetpaw and Icefeather. Lightstripe and Duskfeather stood guard at the entrance to the camp. Lichentail sat down next to Sleetpaw as Sunstorm finished his story. 

“And the ShadowClan warrior literally peed himself as he ran away!” he exclaimed. 

Sleetpaw laughed so hard she fell over. Icefeather let out a loud purr. She was sitting next to Sunstorm—it seemed that ever since he’d helped her out in the battle, she’d shifted her attention from Swifthawk to him.

_Good. Stay away from Swifthawk._

“Oh, hey Lichentail,” said Sunstorm. “I didn’t see you there.”

“I just woke up,” she said. 

“Are you okay? You seem awfully sleepy lately,” said Sleetpaw. 

“Yeah, I just…I just really miss Foggyheart, I guess,” said Lichentail.

The other cats let out low, sympathetic noises. 

“We all miss him,” said Sunstorm. “He could tell even better stories than me.” 

“He was the best brother I could have asked for,” Icefeather sighed. “I still remember the first time we left the nursery as kits. I was scared, but he told me not to be afraid.” 

_I wish I could stop feeling afraid,_ Lichentail thought. _I need Foggyheart right now._

Suddenly, the thundering of multiple paws indicated that the cats from the Gathering had returned. She immediately noticed an air of tension as they all came down the stone path. 

“How was it?” Lightstripe asked. 

“Olivestar completely denied that a battle happened!” Sapstar spat. 

“What?” Lichentail shrieked, getting to her paws. She hissed and lashed her tail, as the cats beside her bristled. 

“He said I didn’t know what I was talking about. That smug, arrogant, piece of…” Sapstar caught himself, then said, “We are going back to double patrols along the WindClan border, starting at dawn.” 

“Did the other Clans believe you?” Lightstripe asked.

“Coldstar did, but RiverClan has its own problems to deal with right now,” Redwing told him. “He told Olivestar to stop being a liar, though. Scorchstar tried to get Sapstar and Olivestar to fight. I don’t see how he became a leader—he acts like a kit!” 

“I wanted to see them fight!” Burningpaw pouted. 

“Yeah, and have the whole island erupt into a battle? I don’t think so,” said Swifthawk. 

_For once, you’re making sense,_ Lichentail growled in her head. 

At dawn, Lichentail was chosen to go on patrol. Swifthawk was also chosen, but so were Stonestorm and Silverlily, so she felt safe. Lightstripe, Burningpaw, Sunstorm, and Sleetpaw also went. 

“Do you think we brought enough cats?” Stonestorm chuckled. 

“Yeah! If I Twigpaw from WindClan again, I’m gonna beat him up!” Burningpaw quipped. 

“Only if he attacks first,” Lightstripe sternly reminded him. 

“I hope we won’t run into them.” Sleetpaw stayed close to her mentor, Sunstorm. “They sound scary.” 

“I won’t let them hurt you!” Burningpaw promised. “I’m the fastest cat in this Clan! They’ll never see me coming!”

At that moment, Burningpaw walked right into a huge boulder, causing everyone to burst out laughing. Even Lichentail couldn’t help herself. 

“What?” Burningpaw snapped. “If this boulder were a cat, I would have shredded it by now!” 

Lichentail laughed again, and suddenly felt a spasm of pain in her stomach, causing her to stumble.

“Are you okay, Lichentail?” Silverlily asked. 

“Yeah, why?” said Lichentail. 

“You winced and stumbled,” said Silverlily. “Is something the matter?” 

“Yeah, my stomach just hurts again,” she said.

Silverlily frowned. “You should go back to camp and see Deerpelt.” 

“I’m fine,” said Lichentail. “I want to finish the patrol, then I’ll see her if it gets worse.”

“What’s going on?” Swifthawk pushed his way to the front of the crowd. 

“Nothing,” Lichentail snapped. “Let’s keep moving.” 

They traveled up and down the WindClan border twice, but remained unchallenged. Lichentail was out of breath by the time they returned to camp. She wasn’t used to doing double the distance on patrols, she guessed. As she reached the bottom of the stone slope, another spasm of pain wracked her stomach. Gritting her teeth, she headed for the medicine den. Deerpelt was just outside, sorting herbs. 

“Oh, Lichentail,” she said. “Do you need something?”

“Yeah, my stomach hurts again,” said Lichentail.

Deerpelt frowned, then beckoned with her tail for Lichentail to follow her into her den. 

“Everything okay?” Rosefall asked as Deerpelt fetched her some watermint leaves. 

“My stomach hurts again,” said Lichentail. “I’ve been feeling weird lately…like I’m bloated, and don’t have much energy.” 

“Hmm,” said Deerpelt, as she came back with the watermint leaves. She laid them down and then said, “Lichentail, can you lay on your side? I want to listen to your stomach.” 

Lichentail obeyed, although she didn’t see how this would help. Deerpelt pressed her ear to her stomach.

“What are you listening for?” Lichentail asked.

“Shh!” Deerpelt snapped. She listened for a few more moments, and then stepped back with a wry smile on her face. 

“Well, what did you hear?” asked Lichentail. 

Deerpelt exchanged a quick glance with Rosefall, whose mouth fell open slightly. 

“What’s wrong with me?” Lichentail hissed. 

“Nothing,” said Deerpelt. “You’re expecting kits.”


	8. Chapter 8

The ground underneath Lichentail seemed to give away, sending her falling down into a cold, deep hole. She was vaguely aware of Rosefall talking to her, but her voice was a distant echo. 

“Lichentail!” The sharp worry in her voice snapped Lichentail out of her trance. 

“Huh?” 

“Are you okay?’

“Y…yeah.”

“Congratulations!” Rosefall purred. “I can’t believe it, I’m so happy for you!”

“I…can’t believe it either,” Lichentail stammered. 

“You’ll probably be able to go on patrols for another moon or so, but take it easy,” Deerpelt advised. 

“Um…ok,” said Lichentail. 

Deerpelt frowned. “Is something wrong?”

Lichentail wanted to scream, _I don’t want to be a mother!_ But instead she said, “I’m just…surprised, is all.” 

“I know, it’s okay to be nervous, especially if it’s your first litter,” said Deerpelt gently. 

“Don’t worry Lichentail, I think you’ll make a great mother,” said Rosefall. 

“Who’s the father?” Deerpelt asked with a smirk. 

Lichentail’s breath caught in her throat. 

“Deerpelt, she doesn’t have to tell us if she doesn’t want to,” said Rosefall gently. 

“Well, whoever it is, you better go tell him,” Deerpelt purred. 

“I…I don’t want to,” Lichentail stuttered.

“What?” Deerpelt’s voice turned hard. “Why not? 

“I…I don’t think he’ll a make a good father,” Lichentail spat out. 

“Well, he’s eventually going to find out,” said Deerpelt. 

Rosefall’s amber eyes shined with concern. “Why don’t you think he’ll make a good father?” 

“I just don’t!” Lichentail snarled. Rosefall jumped to the other side of the den.

“Okay, well if you’re going to have that nasty attitude, you can leave the den,” Deerpelt snapped. “Come on, Rosefall, there’s herbs in the back that need sorting.”

Rosefall scurried after Deerpelt. Lichentail got up and left the den, and collapsed in a shady spot nearby. She buried her face into the grass, her mind spinning once again, trying to comprehend what she just heard. In the distance, she could hear Jumpkit wailing as he threw another tantrum and Heatherbreeze’s cross voice. Lichentail imagined an agonizing birth, the stuffy, cramped nursery, shrieking kits, and the whole time, Swifthawk would be looming over her, crooning over her and his kits…

_Curse you StarClan!_ Lichentail dug her claws into the dirt. _How could you let this happen? Don’t you know I don’t want to be a mother? Especially not to HIS kits!_

“Lichentail?” She looked up to see Flarepelt looking down at her. 

“What’s the matter?” she asked softly.

“I’m having another stomachache,” Lichentail murmured. “Deerpelt took care of it.” 

“Did she give you herbs?”

Lichentail grunted.

Flarepelt lowered her face towards Lichentail. “Please tell me what’s wrong, Lichentail,” she said gently.

Lichentail leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “I’m expecting kits.”

“WHAT!?” Flarepelt shrieked. 

“Shhh!” Lichentail hissed as a few heads turned towards them in the distance. “Don’t go blabbing it around, this is private!” 

“Right, sorry,” Flarepelt whispered. “I’m just…I’m just so excited for you, Lichentail! Are they…are they Swifthawk’s?” 

“Yeah,” said Lichentail. 

“Oh, he is going to be so proud!” Flarepelt gushed. 

Lichentail looked over and spotted Swifthawk lying down and talking with Batfang and Burningpaw by a tree stump nearby. She sighed. She might as well get it over with. She stood up and walked as slowly as she could over to the tree stump, wishing with every paw step that this was all just a nightmare. 

“Um…Swifthawk?” she said. 

“Oh! Lichentail!” Swifthawk got to his paws, startled to see her. “What’s up?” 

“Can I talk to you….in private?” Lichentail asked, gesturing towards the warrior’s den, which was currently empty. 

Swifthawk’s eyes widened. “Oh…yes…um, of course!”

Lichentail led him to the warrior’s den, ignoring snickers from Batfang and Burningpaw. She stepped inside first, and then turned to face him. Her chest suddenly went tight, and she couldn’t breathe. Here she was, in the dark with him again…staring straight into his face…

“What is it?” said Swifthawk.

“I’m expecting your kits,” Lichentail said. 

Swifthawk’s eyes bulged out of his head. His jaw dropped, and for a few moments he couldn’t speak. Then, his golden eyes began to glow, and he let out a loud yowl. “Oh, Lichentail, I’m so happy! I can’t believe it!”

“Shhh!” Lichentail hissed. “Let’s just keep this between you and me for now.” 

“What are you talking about?” Swifthawk explained. “I’m going to be a father! How do you expect me to keep this in?” 

Lichentail watched in horror as Swifthawk shot out of the den and raced into the middle of the camp, yowling at the top of his lungs, “Everyone! Lichentail is going to have my kits!” 

As surprised and happy cries rang out throughout the camp, Lichentail crept into the far back of the den, curling up into a dark corner and trying to make herself as small as possible. But it wasn’t long until her parents came bursting into the den. 

“Switfthawk just told us, we’re so proud!” Silverlily swept her tongue over her daughter’s ear. “Oh, I knew he would be a good mate for you!”

“What’s wrong?” Stonestorm asked. “Do you not feel good?”

“No, my stomach hurts,” Lichentail murmured. 

“Oh, okay. Do you want to be alone?” 

“Yes please.”

“Okay then, feel better. And congratulations.” Stonestorm gave his daughter a tender lick, and he and Silverlily left the den. A few moments later, Flarepelt was at her side. 

“I think Swifthawk got a little too excited,” she said. “Are you okay?”

“Just leave me alone!” Lichentail snarled.

“Oh…okay…” Flarepelt backed away, her voice sounding small and hurt, then left the den. 

She lay there in the cool darkness, begging for sleep to take her away from this horrible day. She was about to doze off when she saw his yellow eyes gleaming at her in the dark. She gasped and flinched back against the den wall. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you,” said Swifthawk softly. “How is the mother of my kits doing?”

“I’m in pain,” Lichentail growled. “Leave me alone.” 

Swifthawk looked genuinely confused. “Aren’t you excited about having these kits?” 

Lichentail curled up with her back to him. She felt his hot breath stir her ear fur once more, as he placed a gentle paw on her shoulder. 

“Can I get you anything?”

“I hate you,” Lichentail hissed. 

Swifthawk took his paw away, and then she heard him pad out of the den. With a heavy sigh, she finally dozed off. She awoke a while later, to see Redwing laying a robin next to her.

“I hope you feel better soon,” he purred. “Congratulations. I can’t wait until the kits are born.” 

“Thank you,” Lichentail murmured sleepily. She leaned over and tore into the robin as Redwing left. As awful as she felt, she was strangely very hungry. 

_I guess I'm eating for more than one now_ she thought bitterly. 

“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!” Sapstar’s call rang out. 

Lichentail sighed, getting herself to her feet. Her stomach didn’t seem larger than usual, but she did note for the first time how heavy she already felt. Her curiosity about Sapstar’s words overruled her fear, and she crept out of the den, and into the clearing. Overhead, the orange and purple clouds of sunset were growing dark as the last rays of sun waned. Sapstar sat atop the Highledge, a sliver of the setting sun illuminating his brown and gold pelt. 

“Lichentail!” Flarepelt came hurrying over to her. “Feeling better?”

Lichentail nodded. The two she-cats walked together towards the Highledge. Immediately, cats began coming up to Lichentail and congratulating her. She mumbled “thanks” over and over, while looking down at the ground. 

_Please don’t let this meeting be about the kits,_ she begged StarClan. 

She saw Swifthawk sitting towards the front of the crowd next to Redwing. He glanced over his shoulder and opened his mouth as if to call to her, but then Sapstar began speaking. Lichentail nearly collapsed with relief as she realized the meeting wasn’t about her and Swifthawk. 

“WindClan scent was detected on our territory again,” said Sapstar. Hisses and growls filled the clearing. 

“Another battle seems imminent,” Sapstar continued. “I want all of you to be on high alert and ready to go into battle on a moment’s notice.”

“Yes! We will avenge Foggyheart’s death!” yowled Swifthawk, rising up on his hind legs. As the rest of the cats broke out into yowls and cheers, he looked over at Lichentail. She curled her lip and lashed her tail in response. 

“On the other hand, we do have some good news,” said Sapstar. 

_Oh no…_

Lichentail crouched to the ground, wanting to disappear.

“Congratulations to Swifthawk and Lichentail, who are expecting kits,” Sapstar purred. 

Flarepelt gave her a lick, as all the cats turned their eyes to her and once again congratulated her. 

“They will be the strongest kits in ThunderClan!” Swifthawk declared, standing up and proudly holding his head high in the air. He then looked over at Lichentail. “And the most beautiful!” 

_StarClan help me!_ Lichentail begged silently.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> FYI, there are brief suicidal thoughts in this chapter, if you're sensitive to that sort of thing.

“You want to make sure your nest is soft as possible, as birth can be pretty rough,” said Heatherbreeze. “Moss is good, but feathers are even better, if you can find them.”

Lichentail nodded, staring straight ahead as Heatherbreeze talked to her. It had been a quarter of a moon since she discovered she was expecting Swifthawk’s kits, and already it was beginning to show. Heatherbreeze had taken to lecturing her daily about preparing for birth and caring for kits. Lichentail half-heartedly nodded, pretending to listen. 

“You should try and get your kits to nap at least once a day, until they’re about three moons old,” said Heatherbreeze. She purred with amusement. “Of course, that can be difficult sometimes.” 

Lichentail grunted as she felt movement in her stomach again. The kits seemed restless already—they had started moving like crazy just a few sunrises after Lichentail found out about them. Sometimes it felt like they would just burst right out of her stomach. She wondered if there was any sort of herb she could eat that would make them stop moving for good. The dark thought made her shudder, but if the kits wouldn’t feel pain, it didn’t seem _too_ wicked of an idea. But there was no way she could find out—even if there was such an herb, she knew Deerpelt or Rosefall would never give it to her without Swifthawk’s agreement. 

An even darker idea crept into the edges of her mind. If she found some deathberries…

 _No, no, what are you thinking!?_ she screamed at herself. She couldn’t imagine the look on her parents’ faces if they found her. Would StarClan even accept her if she took her kits’ lives along with her own?

Lichentail swayed on her paws, her vision suddenly blurring.

“Lichentail, have you been paying attention?” Heatherbreeze asked sternly. 

“I think she’s sick, Mama,” said Gorsekit, who had paused mid-wrestle with Jumpkit and was staring at Lichentail. 

Lichentail’s stomach heaved, and she pitched forward and vomited onto the ground. 

“Oooh, yeah, she’s sick,” said Jumpkit. 

Heatherbreeze stroked Lichentail’s back with her tail. “Are you alright, dear?”

Lichentail nodded. “Yeah.”

“No worries, I did that a few times when I was expecting,” said Heatherbreeze. “Ask the medicine cats for some juniper berries or watermint leaves to chew on, or willow leaves if it becomes too frequent.”

“Thanks,” Lichentail grunted, then headed for the medicine den. Peering in, she saw Rosefall sorting herbs. 

“Hey,” she murmured. “I’ve been sick.”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” said Rosefall. “We’re out of watermint leaves, but I have juniper berries.” 

Lichentail nodded gratefully as Rosefall placed a few bright blue berries in front of her. As she chewed them, Rosefall asked, “Lichentail, is there something wrong? You haven’t been acting right.”

Lichentail looked up into Rosefall’s gentle, concerned eyes. For a moment she considered telling the medicine cat the truth. But then, a loud yowl came from the camp entrance. 

“WindClan warriors, on our territory again!” yelled Lightstripe. “Practically the whole Clan is there!”

Lichentail sprang to life, her stomachache instantly forgotten. She raced over to where Sapstar and Redwing were corralling the angred ThunderClan warriors. 

“Don’t run off just yet!” Swifthawk scolded them. He walked beside his father, giving everyone stern looks, as if he were already deputy. 

“Alright!” Sapstar meowed sharply. “Listen up! I want Stonestorm, Silverlily, Batfang, Duskfeather, and Sleetpaw to guard the camp! Everyone else, come with me.” 

“Shouldn’t Lichentail stay here?” said Swifthawk. “Remember, she’s expecting my kits!”

“I’m going!” Lichentail snapped. She unsheathed her claws. “I want to avenge Foggyheart.” 

“You can’t go!” Swifthawk cried. “Think about the kits!” 

“I’m not that far along!” Lichentail growled. “I can’t just sit here while Foggyheart’s killers are out there!” 

Sapstar nodded. “You may come, Lichentail. We’ll need your skill.” 

“Thank you!” Lichentail gasped, swarmed with warm gratitude towards the ThunderClan leader. 

“But…but…” Swifthawk protested. 

“Now’s not the time to argue,” said Redwing. “We need to get moving.” 

As they passed the camp entrance, where Stonestorm and Silverlily had taken up guard position, they cast concerned looks at their daughter. 

“Are you sure about this?” Silverlily breathed. 

“Don’t worry, Mother.” Lichentail pressed her nose to Silverlily’s. “I’ll be fine, I promise.” 

“Please come back safely,” said Stonestorm, caressing Lichentail’s cheek with his own. 

“I will,” said Lichentail. Then, she fell in next to Flarepelt and Shadefire as the warriors went racing out of the camp.

“Let’s go claw some WindClan fur!” Sunstorm yowled. Everyone cheered in agreement. 

Swifthawk appeared at Lichentail’s side. “Don’t worry, I’ll stay by you and protect you the whole time,” he said. 

“That won’t be necessary,” Lichentail snapped. “I can take care of myself just fine.” 

“The kits will slow you down,” said Swifthawk. “I’m going to make sure nothing bad happens to you.” 

“Maybe she can crush a WindClan warrior now that she’s gotten fat,” sneered Burningpaw as he passed them. Lichentail noticed a rock in the corner of her vision and reached out with her paw, “accidentally” knocking it into Burningpaw’s path. Satisfaction swept over her as the apprentice tripped and landed flat on his face. Swifthawk hung back to help him, as Lichentail darted just ahead of Flarepelt and Shadefire. 

When they reached the WindClan border, it did appear as if the whole Clan was waiting for them. Right on the grounds where they had last battled, several cats were spread out, hunching down in the grass, poised to spring, their pelts and claws glinting in the sunlight. At the head was Olivestar himself, with Slickpelt at his side.

“WindClan, attack!” he yowled. 

“ThunderClan, attack!” Sapstar yowled in return. The two leaders lept at each other and met in midair, while Redwing tackled Slickpelt. A white she-cat threw herself at Lichentail, claws outstretched. Lichentail dodged her and then grabbed one of her hind legs with a paw, sending her sprawling into the dirt. Flarepelt jumped on her, pinning her to the ground and slashing at her belly. 

“Lichentail, look out!” Shadefire went streaking past her, knocking down a tom that had crept up behind her. Lichentail joined him, clawing and slashing at the tom until he begged for mercy. They sprang back as he ran in the direction of the tunnels, howling and bleeding. 

“Nice job,” Lichentail panted to Shadefire.

“You too,” he said. 

More cats came streaking towards them. Sunstorm skidded into the path of a brown and white tom and took him on, while Lichentail and Shadefire headed for a pair of gray tabbies. They matched them blow for blow, until Lichentail lashed out with her claws and scoured one of them across the chest. She then turned around and kicked her enemy’s fresh wound with her hind legs, and the tabby crumpled in defeat. Shadefire flung the other cat on top of the first one.

Lichentail and Shadefire stood there panting, until Flarepelt let out a caterwaul from nearby. Shadefire went racing to help her, and Lichentail was about to follow him, until she spotted a flash of auburn fur from across the battlefield. Foxflash and Lightstripe were facing each other off, swiping at each other with powerful blows. Both toms moved so fast they were practically a blur. Lichentail held her breath; Lightstripe was the fastest cat in cat in ThunderClan—would he win?

Suddenly, Badgerfang went hurling towards Lightstripe and bowled him over. Lichentail’s Clan mate disappeared under Badgerfang’s massive body, and Foxfang piled on top, just like they had done to Foggyheart…

“NO!” Lichentail flew across the battlefield, the wind howling in her ears. She sprang high into the air, and came crashing down on Badgerfang’s back, hooking her claws into his black and white pelt. He yowled and stepped back from Lightstripe, trying to shake Lichentail off. Foxfang screeched as suddenly Burningpaw was there, grabbing his tail in his teeth. 

“Get off my father!” the apprentice snarled. 

Lightstripe wriggled away, his light brown fur soaked with blood, and then he and Burningpaw came together side by side and battered at Foxfang. Lichentail watched this while still gripping tight to Badgerfang’s back with teeth and claws. The tom wildily jumped about, trying to buck her off, but she held on tight. 

_For you, Foggyheart,_ she thought as she plunged her fangs deep into the side of Badgerfang’s neck, biting down until she tasted blood. She shook her head from side to side, trying to tear deep enough to open up his throat…

Suddenly, Badgerfang was knocked out from underneath her, and she dropped to the ground. A spasm gripped her stomach as she landed flat on it. Gritting her teeth and opening one eye, she saw Swifthawk wrestling with Badgerfang. 

“Get away from my mate!” he screeched, sinking his teeth into Badgerfang’s shoulder. The black and white tom screeched and kicked him off, then went streaking away. Lichentail went after him, watching the blood spurt from Badgerfang’s neck. The wound didn’t seem deep enough to be fatal, but if she could open it a little more…

Swifthawk jumped into Lichentail’s path. “What are you doing?” he cried. “He’s fleeing! I saved you!”

“Get out of my way!” Lichentail roared, raking Swifthawk across the face. The tabby screeched in shock, rearing up on his hind legs. Lichentail darted around him and saw Badgerfang’s black tail vanish into one of the tunnels up ahead. 

“No!” she snarled. “You’re _mine!_ ” She ran for him, swerving around clusters of writhing, screeching cats. Just as she entered the tunnel, she heard Olivestar yowl, “WindClan! Retreat!” 

Lichentail followed Badgerfang’s scent into the darkness, feeling her way around with her whiskers. Suddenly, the ground shook, and the tunnel became full of pounding paws and the reek of WindClan mixed with blood and fear. Lichentail darted into what seemed like a small pocket as several fleeing warriors rushed past. The tunnel began to shake violently, and suddenly, a cat cried out, “Cave in!” 

The dirt beneath Lichentail gave out, and she screeched as she was plunged into darkness.


	10. Chapter 10

A loud, steady ring in her ears was the first thing Lichentail became aware of. She opened her eyes, but couldn’t see anything—it was all pitch black. She couldn’t breathe, either. She gasped, kicking out with her legs and clawing at the dirt that encased her. A few moments later, her head broke through the soil into clear air. Lichentail gasped and choked, greedily sucking in the stuffy, warm, but welcoming air. She looked around—she appeared to be in some sort of cavern. As far as she could tell, there was no way out. Up above, she could see just the tiniest sliver of light. 

“Lichentail!” she heard Redwing’s voice call out from up above. “Lichentail, where are you?” 

“Lichentail!” cried Flarepelt. “Answer us!”

Lichentail was about to respond when she heard Swifthawk’s panicked voice. 

“Where’s Lichentail? LICHENTAIL!” he yowled. 

Lichentail clamped her jaws shut. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the tiny beam of light illuminating the edge of a small looking gap. She quietly crept towards it, her fur bristling as Swifthawk’s cries grew hysterical.

“Somebody find her! Please, Lichentail!” 

“Lichentail, where are you?” Flarepelt called. 

Lichentail’s heart broke in half as she heard the panic in Flarepelt’s voice, but she could not bring herself to answer. She peered into the crack that seemed to lead further down into the tunnels. It was very, very dark and smelled cold and empty. 

_What am I doing?_ Fear gripped Lichentail’s heart. Who knows where this passage would lead her? What if she never got out? She should be calling out for her Clan mates and getting herself to safety. 

Then, she heard Swifthawk’s paws scraping wildly at the dirt from up above. She shoved her head into the gap, and managed to fit the first half of her body into it. She hissed as the rounded curve of her pregnant stomach caught on the edge, preventing her from going forward. 

“Lichentail! Lichentail! Come back to me!” Swifthawk howled.

Lichentail reached out with her forepaw and felt more solid earth. Gripping it, she pulled herself forward, wriggling her body back and forth. The narrow gap painfully squeezed her stomach, and she bit down on her tongue so not to cry out. 

“Swifthawk,” she heard Redwing’s gentle voice. “She’s gone.” 

“No! No, no, no!” Swifthawk screamed. “She can’t be! She’s carrying my kits! We have to find her!” 

Lichentail shot forward, sprawling into the passageway. Swifthawk’s voice grew distant, as if he were being dragged away. 

“NO! She’s carrying my kits! _She’s carrying my kits!_ ”

Lichentail raced down the passageway, which thankfully grew wider almost immediately. She kept on running until she felt her paw catch on a rock, and she cried out and fell over. 

_Did anyone hear me?_ Lichentail’s heart caught in her throat as she swiveled her ears to listen for any more voices above. But she heard nothing. It was unearthly silent in the black, cold tunnel. She stood up again, and continued forward. 

_Where am I going?_ With every step, the tunnel seemed to grow colder and darker. 

_I can’t do this, I have to go back. What if I never get out of here?_

Swifthawk’s eerie cries echoed in her mind, and then she heard him hissing in her ear, “You are _mine._ ” 

The memory sent her racing ahead into the swallowing darkness, using her whiskers to navigate the twists and turns. The passageway seemed to never end. Lichentail wanted to cry out, wanted someone to come and save her, but at the same time…part of her felt safe here in the darkness. 

Suddenly, the walls of the tunnel became very narrow, pressing hard against her sides. Lichentail tried to back up, but found that she couldn’t. She struggled, but could not move at all. She let out a cry, lashing her tail, trying to move at least an inch. 

“Star Clan, help me!” she wailed. “I don’t want to die down here!” 

The passageway seemed to get even narrower up ahead. Lichentail sobbed with terror. 

_“You’re okay. You’re not stuck. Look for a way out,”_ said a deep, soothing voice in her ear.

“Foggyheart!?” she cried out. “Foggyheart, where are you?” 

She could have sworn that was him. Craning her neck further, she could suddenly since a draft of air coming towards her. Taking a deep breath and sucking her gut in as far as it would go, Lichentail wriggled hard, until suddenly, she tumbled out of the tight cavern and landed on a stony surface. Just up ahead, she could hear water bubbling. Lichentail followed the source of the noise, until it was right in front of her. Lowering her muzzle, she felt a cool stream of water flowing by. She suddenly realized how parched she was, and lapped up the water greedily. It was the most pure, refreshing water she’d ever had. Lifting her head, she swiveled her ears, and caught the faintest sound of a breeze in the distance. She turned into another cavern, walking slowly now, afraid to get stuck in another tight passageway. Eventually, the tunnel grew less musty, and Lichentail began to smell fresher, cooler air. She picked up her pace, and, after what seemed like an eternity, finally began to see the path in front of her. She rounded a bend and gasped when she saw a gaping hole in front of her, with the sun shining brightly through it! 

Lichentail darted out and skidded to a halt, taking in her surroundings. She was in a big, grassy clearing, with clumps of small flowers here and there. A refreshing breeze was blowing through the foliage, and loudly ruffling the leaves of a forest in the near distance. Lichentail rolled around in the soft, thick grass, purring and taking in the feel of sunlight and the sweet scent of the flowers. She was free! She was alive! 

…she was alone. 

Lichentail sat up and shook herself, craning her neck to lick at a wound from the earlier battle that was still bleeding. She’d hardly noticed the claw marks on her pelt while she’d been in the tunnels, but now the stinging pain was returning. Drying blood had almost completely covered her ribs, dripping down from a wound near her back. 

_Deerpelt and Rosefall aren’t here to help me._

Lichentail stared up at the clear blue sky, trying to comprehend all that had just happened.

_I’ve run away from ThunderClan. I am a loner now._

Her entire Clan thought she was dead. She pictured Flarepelt, Shadefire, and all her other friends’ faces when she didn’t emerge from the collapsed tunnel. She’d heard Redwing say “she’s gone”, so they must have gone back to camp to tell everyone she had died. Oh StarClan, she had told her parents she would be safe! She couldn’t even imagine what their faces looked like when they heard the news...

Lichentail tucked her head onto her forepaws, moaning softly. What had she done to her Clan? How could she make her family and friends all think she was dead? 

Then she pictured Swifthawk’s face. Those piercing golden eyes, his loud yowl, the way he clamped down on her scruff as he…

Lichentail shook her head violently. No. She could not go back to Swifthawk. She had finally escaped him. As long as he was in ThunderClan, she could not go back. 

_I’m on my own now…forever…_ Lichentail shivered as a breeze blew through her pelt. 

_StarClan, what will happen to me now? Will you still watch over me?_


	11. Chapter 11

Lichentail spent the night in the new forest. It was hardly different from the one she’d grown up in, full of prey and thick with undergrowth. She found a clump of marigold, and remembered that the medicine cats used it for wounds. She chewed the small yellow flowers, gagging on their bitter taste, and spat them onto her cuts. The stinging feeling died down, and she was able to curl up comfortably in a hollowed out log filled with moss. However, she slept fitfully. The faces of her loved ones appeared in her mind, calling to her, begging her to come home. Then, she heard Swifthawk’s insane caterwauling and scraping at the dirt, trying to get to her, make her his again…

She jolted awake, panicking for a second when she didn’t recognize her surroundings. Then the memories of yesterday came rushing back, and she moaned as she once again grasped the terrible reality of her situation. 

_It can’t be too terrible,_ she told herself. _I’m finally away from Swifthawk._

But she still couldn’t get all the cats she loved out of her mind. They must have sat vigil for her all night, staring sadly and silently down at their paws, wishing they had a body to caress and lick one last time. But she might as well be dead…they had still lost her forever. It was just going to be Lichentail, all alone, from now on.

A spasm shook through her stomach. Lichentail yelped as she suddenly realized that no, she would not be alone. Swifthawk’s kits were still growing inside of her. Eventually, they would be born, and she would have to care for them. What if they all looked just like Swifthawk? Or acted like him?

Lichentail shuddered. 

“Oh StarClan, please,” she moaned. “Help me. I don’t know what to do.” 

She went hunting to take her mind off of things. She quickly picked up the scent of a mole and stalked it until she saw its fat gray body. Striking out with a paw, she quickly killed it. Fresh kill had never tasted so good. 

_That’s right,_ she thought. _I don’t have to wait until others have eaten to have my prey anymore. I can just eat it right after I catch it!_

At least there were some advantages to being alone. When Lichentail finished the mole, she tracked down a robin, and ate the whole thing as well. Finally comfortably full, she climbed up a very tall tree. It stretched up higher than most of the other trees, and its trunk was narrow, but she relished in climbing it, feeling almost adventurous and daring again, like she did when she was first learning to climb as an apprentice. Finally, she heaved herself up onto the highest branch, and looked out at her surroundings. 

“Wow,” she whispered. A seemingly endless sea of green stretched out before her. This forest was even larger than the one she’d left—who’d have known it was out here, beyond the Clan territories?? The sky was a bright blue up above, and a gentle breeze sent ripples across the sea of leaves. In the distance, tall, pale mountains rose up against the sky.

_Those must be the mountains the Clans crossed during the Great Journey, _she realized. She knew the Clans hadn’t always lived in this part of the world—they had started in another forest, on the other side of the mountains, before it was destroyed by Twolegs. The ThunderClan leader Firestar and his fellow leaders had guided their Clans to the new territories by following a falling star.__

Lichentail wondered if StarClan could still see her. She’d heard that StarClan had traveled along with the living Clans to the new territories. Were there any warriors at all in the sky over this forest? She wished she could ask one of them for advice. Perhaps she could try finding her way to the Moonpool--no, she’d have to cut through WindClan territory, and she couldn’t risk a patrol seeing her. She wasn’t sure if she was qualified to talk to StarClan, anyways. As far as she knew, they only talked to medicine cats and leaders. 

_But I did hear Foggyheart’s voice in the tunnels. I swear I did._ Lichentail gazed up into the sky. 

_Can you see me, Foggyheart? I miss you so much. I wish you were here with me._

There was no answer but the swishing of the wind. Lichentail sighed, and then climbed over to a fork in the tree where she could stretch out. She sat there for a long time, until the sky faded from blue to orange, and then to red, and then to indigo. 

_What am I going to do about my kits?_ she thought, resting her chin on her paws. Obviously, she had no choice but to care for them once they were born—they’d starve to death without her. As much as she hated Swifthawk, these kits were innocent, and they were now all hers—not his. Still, the thought of being wracked with pain as the kits came out, and then having the sopping wet balls of fur tug at her stomach greedily….it wasn’t pleasant. She pushed the thoughts out of her mind, and drifted off to sleep. 

A rushing sound came to Lichentail’s ears—loud and rushing, yet somehow soothing. She opened her eyes and gaped as she saw a tall, falling sheet of water. A shimmering, silver pool surrounded the base of it. Just behind the falling water, Lichentail could just see the outline of a large cave. She sniffed the air—it smelled of cold stone, and…cats. A lot of cats. 

Suddenly, a dark brown cat appeared from behind the falling sheet of water, followed by several others. They walked ahead in a single file line, almost as if they were going out for a patrol. A sandy brown tabby cat and a light brown cat then emerged, with two kits bouncing after them. Their mother affectionately nuzzled them, and then they went sprinting off into a patch of grass, where they tumbled and played. 

The scene then suddenly changed. The dark brown cat from before was running across open ground, yowling and chasing a soaring raven. He jumped much higher than Lichentail had seen any other cat jump, and caught the bird between his claws. Then the scene changed again, to a group of large, muscular cats standing guard at the entrance to the huge stony cave behind the falling water, challenging an ugly looking group of skinny rogues to fight them. Behind them, a large crowd of at least a dozen cats was watching, yowling and cheering them on. Then, suddenly, Lichentail was in a large cave, full of jagged, pointy stones. A mottled brown tom looked down into a pool of water, which shone brightly with stars. 

Lichentail jolted awake, nearly falling from the tree. She gripped the bark tight with her claws, steadying herself on the forked branches. What had that dream been about? Was that a real place? 

Suddenly, Lichentail’s mind took her back to the elders of her Clan, telling stories of the distant past that had been passed down through generations. Oakflower always liked to talk about a tribe of cats that the Clans had encountered during the Great Journey, who lived similarly like a Clan. The name suddenly struck Lichentail—the Tribe of Rushing Water! 

She then remembered seeing the kits in her dream, and she gasped out loud. 

“I wonder how many mothers are living there?” she whispered to herself. “It seemed like a lot of cats are there. Surely some of them are expecting or nursing kits?” 

She looked down at her stomach. 

“I am going to take you to the Tribe,” she said to her kits. “That’s where you’ll live!”


	12. Chapter 12

Lichentail panted as the hot greenleaf sun beat down on her. She hoped to find a stream or pond to drink from soon, although she hadn’t seen any trace of water lately. Since leaving the forest a few sunrises ago, the trees had greatly thinned out, and the ground changed from grassy to sandy and rocky. Now and then, she could taste a strange, salty smell in the air. At last, she found a small pond and lapped at the water, then stood back to study her reflection. She looked quite weary, her normally bright blue eyes dulled. She licked a paw and swiped it over one of her dark gray ears. At least her pelt still gave a beautiful, soft, moon-like glow. 

Suddenly, she heard a chorus of barks in the near distance. The fur rose along her spine as she turned to see three Twolegs in the near distance. Bounding alongside them was a group of dogs. Lichentail’s fur flattened slightly—they didn’t seem to notice her. But then, suddenly, the smallest dog, a black and white thing with pointy ears, turned her head in her direction and then took off from the Twolegs, yapping excitedly. The other dogs, all much larger than the first, went running after it, right towards Lichentail. She turned and fled up a small rocky incline, heading for a line of aspen trees up ahead. As the smallest dog’s yapping grew much closer, she flattened her stomach to the ground, streaking through the grass. Suddenly, her paw caught on a stone, and she fell over on her chest and skidded through the dirt. When she got to her paws, the smallest dog was just a few tail lengths away. 

_It’s not much bigger than me—I can take it on!_

With a vicious hiss, Lichentail swiped her claws across the dog’s face. It yelped in surprise and jumped back. 

“Stay away!” Lichentail yowled, aiming a swift blow at the dog’s side. It shrieked, then turned and fled. But a few seconds later, the other dogs appeared, led by a huge russet colored beast. It stretched its jaws wide, barking madly as it fixed its gleaming eyes on Lichentail. Just behind it were a stocky brown dog and a floppy-eared dog that lifted its head and let out several loud, hysterical howls. Lichentail ran for her life, screeching, “StarClan help me!” 

The thundering of paws grew closer behind Lichentail. Soon, the lead dog was only a few tail lengths behind her. The trees were just up ahead—she could make it! She lept on top of a large stone in the middle of the field, soaring several tail lengths away from the dogs. One of them stumbled right into the rock with a yelp, but the other two went around it. Suddenly, the russet dog lept in front of Lichentail and swerved to face her, drool dripping from its long, gleaming fangs. Lichentail skidded to a halt and let the momentum send her sliding between the dogs’ legs. Its teeth snapped right behind the very tip of her tail. Finally, Lichentail reached the aspen trees. She leaped into the air and clung to the bark, scrambling as fast as she could. Suddenly, the brown dog’s jaws clamped down on her tail. She screeched, and kicked out with her hind foot, scouring the dogs face with her claws. It let go just long enough for her to wriggle further up the tree, out of the dogs’ reach. The dogs reared up and placed their forepaws on the trunk, snarling and barking madly. The third dog came running over, running around the tree in circles and howling. Lichentail pulled herself up on a sturdy branch high above their reach, her sides heaving as she gasped in relief. 

Soon after, the three Twolegs came over, one carrying the smallest dog. They yelled angrily at the dogs and grabbed them, pulling them away from the tree. Eventually, they coaxed all four of them into walking away. Lichentail studied her tail, which was badly bleeding where the dog had bit it. She licked at the large, ragged wound and then spotted a cobweb among the branches, which she wrapped tightly around it. Exhausted, she dozed off on the branch for a while, and woke up as the sun was starting to set. Her tail still hurt, but the bleeding had stopped. She climbed down from the tree and continued on towards the mountains. She wrinkled her nose—the salty taste she had detected in the air now and then was suddenly growing thick. Somewhere up ahead, she could hear water roaring. Was there a river? As she rounded a boulder, Lichentail stopped and gasped at the sight in front of her. 

Lichentail was looking at a long, wide seemingly endless stretch of sand, dotted with rocks and boulders here and there. Moving inwards and outwards next to the sand was an even huger stretch of water, lapping hungrily at the shore. Further out, huge waves were crashing through the water, creating globs of white foam on the surface. The sun was enormous here, illuminating the water in red, gold, and pink as it slowly slipped below the horizon. Lichentail was wordless. She had never seen anything so beautiful before. She walked over to the water, her paws sinking into the soft, fine sand. She curiously swatted at the edge of the water as it came in close, and was startled at how cold it was. Lichentail gave it a lick, and winced at the salty taste. Everything smelled and tasted of salt, but it was gorgeous. She sat there on the shore, watching the sun set. 

_I wonder if anyone back home would believe me if I told them about this place,_ she thought. 

With a pang, she realized she’d never be able to tell them. She wondered what everyone back in ThunderClan was doing right now. She pictured the evening border and hunting patrols coming back to camp, then gathering together to share prey and tongues. Sapstar would be sitting on the Highledge as usual, watching over everyone. Gorsekit and Jumpkit would be wrestling, with Heatherbreeze watching them nearby. Burningpaw and Sleetpaw were probably showing each other battle moves their mentors had shown them that day, and Flarepelt and Shadefire were probably curled up together in the grass, looking up at the sky as they waited for the stars to come out. 

Lichentail sighed and closed her eyes. She knew Flarepelt had to be missing her terribly, as well as Flarepelt’s family, and Shadefire, all who Lichentail had always been close to since she was a small kit. Lichentail’s parents had to be hurting even worse—she worried especially for her mother. How would Silverlily take this? 

One of the kits inside Lichentail kicked at her side, causing her to cry out and suddenly remember them, too. ThunderClan’s grief for Lichentail would be made worse by the fact that she’d been expecting kits—ones that everyone was excited about being born, because of their father…

Lichentail snarled. She wanted to forget about Swifthawk, to erase his existence from her mind forever. But he had taken her whole life away from her…even now that he was far away he controlled her by keeping her away from home. Lichentail unsheathed her claws into the sand. If only she’d gotten an opportunity to kill him. She then sighed and retracted her claws. It wouldn’t change what he’d done to her. 

Lichentail sat on the beach until the sun had completely disappeared, and the sky grew a deep indigo. The sloshing of the water against her paws was kind of soothing. Up above, there were a few, faint twinkling stars. Lichentail already missed the wide expanse of Silverpelt that lit up the sky at home. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a bright star appeared, and then moved, leaving a bright dust behind as it trailed across the sky. Lichentail turned around to see it heading towards the mountains. The star continued to travel, and then at last behind the faint outline of a mountain peak. 

“Is that you, StarClan?” Lichentail whispered. “Are you looking out for me?” 

She walked in the direction of the star, leaving the sandy, salty area and up a rocky incline. As she headed further on, the foliage and trees grew sparse, and the ground got even rockier. Lichentail suddenly saw one of the mountain peaks looming above her in the near distance. She’d made it to the mountains! 

_We’re almost to your home,_ she silently told her kits.


	13. Chapter 13

Lichentail snarled as her round belly caught on a gorse bush. She pulled herself free, cursing how heavy her body had become. Lichentail had been wandering through the mountains for a long time—twice now she had seen the moon at its fullest. She was very close to kitting, and it had become much harder to travel. She felt twice as heavy as she used to be, and was hardly able to jump or climb. Not that there was much to climb on in the mountains, which was mainly open land full of rock and short grass, but Lichentail still missed the thrill of leaping through the air. She grew exhausted more easily, and had to frequently stop for breaks. 

_Please, StarClan,_ she silently begged. _I need to find the Tribe soon._

A hawk soared high in the sky, slowly gliding to the east. Not knowing what else to do, Lichentail followed it, growling with annoyance as her bulging stomach swung back and forth. Why would any she-cat who had a choice want to go through this? 

Lichentail followed the hawk until it disappeared behind a hill. Suddenly, she caught the scent of something she hadn’t smelled in a long time—cats! She sniffed at a scent marker on a nearby bush. It was stale, but made not too long ago. Did Tribe cats go on patrols? It would be more useful if she knew where their territory began. She treaded carefully forward, keeping her eyes and ears wide open for any sign of cats. It wasn’t long before she caught the scent of an approaching group of cats on a breeze. Looking wildly around, Lichentail saw a large bush nearby. She ran and leaped into it, wincing as the brambles scraped at her pelt. She wriggled into a tight space just beneath the bush, and peered out. Five cats were wandering into her view, all with sleek pelts and huge, rippling muscles. By swiveling her ears, Lichentail could just make out bits of their conversation. 

“How long until Little Bird has her kits, do you think?” said a black and white she-cat. 

“Any day now probably,” a dark brown tom in the lead replied. These cats talked in a thick, strange sort of accent. 

“I’m worried about her,” said a tortoiseshell she-cat. “She hasn’t been feeling so good.” 

“No queen feels good right before they’re about to give birth,” said a ginger she-cat. 

_She’s right about that,_ Lichentail thought. 

“Yes, but she had a fever the night before,” said the tortoiseshell. “And she didn’t look much better when we left this morning.” 

“She’s had kits before, she’ll be fine,” said the fifth cat, a black tom. 

They continued to talk, but their conversation grew muffled as they wandered further away. Lichentail’s heart soared with triumph. 

_There’s a queen here who can nurse my kits!_

She purred so much she was sure the entire bush was rattling. Lichentail crawled out from under it—now that she’d found the Tribe, it was time to find the place where she’d have her kits. It turned out to be a frustrating task—the foliage was thin up here in the mountains. Hardly anything made a good den. She searched until dusk, and was about to give up, when suddenly she fell forward. Her leg went deep into the ground, into some sort of hole. Scrambling backwards, Lichentail saw the entrance of a small den, carved out into a sandy patch of soil and hidden by a thin layer of grass and tiny yellow flowers. She cautiously stuck her head in, and smelled an old, faint trace of badger. It was a den! Lichentail crawled inside—it was just wide and deep enough for her to crawl in and turn around. She was able to widen it slightly by digging at the sandy walls, and then headed out to find bedding. She spotted a nice, fluffy grouse pecking at the ground not far from the den. Once she’d killed it and had a nice meal, she gathered up the downy speckled feathers, and took them into the den to shape out a nest. Over the next few days, she added more feathers from a crow she caught, and bits of moss. Soon, the den was incredibly comfortable. 

Lichentail went back to where she’d seen the Tribe cats a few more times. They did seem to pass that area quite a bit, as if it were at the edge of their territory. They talked more of the expecting queen, Little Bird, and how she was recovering from her illness. 

_Please, let her have enough milk to spare,_ Lichentail prayed. 

And then, just a few sunrises later, the kits arrived. She jolted awake in the middle of the night to feel a stabbing pain her stomach. She screeched as powerful contractions began to ripple through her body. She quickly grew hot and feverish, panting as the spasms grew worse. She screamed again as her abdomen throbbed violently. 

_Oh StarClan, make it stop!_

She gritted her teeth, wishing she’d brought a stick into the den to bite on, as she’d seen Deerpelt bring to queens that were kitting. Suddenly, something slid out between her hind legs. Craning her neck, she saw a wet, quivering, reddish-purple sac had emerged from her. She ignored the waves of agony that rolled through her as she leaned over and dragged it closer to her with a forepaw. She bit down on the sac and tugged, and then a tiny pale brown bundle tumbled out. The kit let out a high pitched mewl, thrashing its little limbs around. Lichentail sighed with relief--it was a strong, healthy little tom! She pulled him closer to her stomach. He nosed around until he found a teat, and began to suckle greedily. 

Lichentail’s vision went red as pain seized her body once more. She felt another kit slide out of her this one partially emerged from its sac. Lichentail snapped out her haze long enough to reach over, tear the sac open, and pull another pale brown kit close to her before collapsing with exhaustion. 

But she wasn’t done. A brief stream of blood trickled out of her before her body shuddered again. 

_Please, no, not again,_ she silently begged. 

As the third kit came, bit down on her tongue so hard she tasted a burst of blood in her mouth. And then, the pain ebbed slightly, and the pounding in Lichentail’s ears faded into the thin wail of a new kit. This one was silver. She pulled it next to its siblings, and laid back, waiting in dread for more spasms to come. But they ceased, and the pain began to slowly fade. That had been the last kit. She’d done it. Lichentail began to lick at the soggy bundles of fur as they furiously suckled. She purred as a wave of pride washed over her—she had given birth to three healthy kits all by herself, without the help of a medicine cat!

_Thank you, StarClan._


	14. Chapter 14

Two sunrises had passed since Lichentail’s kits had arrived. They were now fluffy and dry, but still very, very hungry. Thankfully, Lichentail’s milk was flowing just fine. She rested her head against the soft sand, listening to the sound of suckling. There were two toms and a she-kit and they all had beautiful pelts. The she-kit was a shimmering silver tabby, and her brothers had pale brown fur. One of them had reddish brown ears and a tail, similar to how Lichentail had dark gray ears and a tail. And the biggest tom had tabby stripes, just like…

Lichentail squeezed her eyes tightly shut as she pushed him out of her mind. She opened them when she heard the scuffling of tiny paws, and saw the tabby tom had crawled away from her stomach. He was mewling loudly, sniffing around for milk. She reached out with a paw and gently directed him back to her teat. 

She waited several more sunrises, until the kits had opened their eyes. The toms had amber eyes, and the she-cat had blue. They began to waddle around the den slightly, sniffing the air curiously. Lichentail awoke very early one morning, when the sky was paling from dark blue to lavender, and knew it was time. The Tribe cats headed out around dawn to hunt every day. The kits were curled up in a pile, sound asleep. Lichentail would have to be quick—the bush she hid under wasn’t too far away, but her kits still couldn’t walk that far. She gently picked the tabby tom up by the scruff of the neck, careful not to wake him or his siblings. He slept on as she slowly padded out of the den. There were a few stars still twinkling overhead, which was good—Lichentail still had quite a bit of time. When she reached the bush, she carefully tucked the tabby kit in the space underneath, pushing him far back until he was hidden by the shade. The gap was so small that she doubted nothing bigger than a cat could fit under it. She took off running back to the den. 

To her relief, the two other kits had not stirred. She carefully picked up the tom with the fox colored ears and tail, and brought him to the bush to join his brother. Lowering her head, she could pick up his scent from underneath, and just see the outline of the tabby kit’s little body. She placed his brother next to him, and then went to retrieve the last kit. She quickened her pace as she carried the little silver tabby, noting that the sky was getting reasonably lighter. Panicky thoughts were racing through her mind—what if she ran into the Tribe cats? The last thing she wanted to do was explain that she was leaving her kits. 

When she got to the bush, she heard the thin little cries of her sons. She carefully squeezed herself into the tight gap underneath, careful not to crush her kits, and let them curl up in the curve of her stomach. Once they had quieted down and fallen back asleep, she gave each one a lick on the head. 

“Goodbye,” she whispered softly. She crept as quietly as she could out from under the bush, but they began mewling again when she was just a few tail lengths away. Lichentail stopped in her tracks—part of her was telling her to go back, to curl up around the kits once more…but then the image of what had been done to her to create these kits flashed in her head. She hurried away from the bush, and darted behind a boulder not too far away. There, she waited. She could still hear the loud, piercing cries of her kits. 

_It won’t be too long, don’t worry,_ she told them silently.

Just a few moments later, the tortoiseshell she-cat Lichentail had come to recognize appeared in front of the bush. She curiously stuck her head underneath, and then called over her shoulder for more cats to come. They surrounded the bush, curiously sniffing underneath. She could faintly hear the tortoiseshell talking concernedly to the kits.

Lichentail then sprinted away, and didn’t look back. 

“Good luck, little ones,” she whispered. 

****

Lichentail ran through a field of poppies, leaping into the air as a breeze whistled through her fur. 

_I’m free! I’m free!_

Finally, at last, she no longer had to worry about Swifthawk or the kits. She could live her own life again. Lichentail threw herself into a tall clump of grass and rolled around, batting at the stalks. 

_I could live here forever,_ she thought. Up in the mountains, there was plenty of prey, and no Twolegs. But aside from the Tribe…there were no other cats.

Lichentail rolled over on her stomach and shook her pelt. As relieved as she was to have escaped her old life, she missed being part of a Clan. She wasn’t sure if she could live by herself forever. The thought made her feel cold and empty. Maybe there were a few lone cats here in the mountains? If not, maybe she could find some them somewhere else, and bring them here. 

_Why not?_ She said to herself. She had all the time in the world—the whole rest of her life, to do it! Lichentail spotted a bright green butterfly and jumped at it, nearly catching it between her paws. She hadn’t felt this carefree since she was a kit. It was strange, making her own decisions when she’d obeyed a leader and the warrior code all her life, but at the same time, it was somewhat liberating. 

Lichentail spent the night perched on top of a large rock in the middle of the field. When night fell, the sky shimmered with many stars. The pattern was different than that of Silverpelt, but somehow, she felt that StarClan was still watching her. How else could she have gotten this far? She felt safe as she curled up and went to sleep. 

When she awoke, her surroundings were different. Startled, she leaped to her paws. There was an odd, sparkly mist surrounding her, and she couldn’t see much, other than two dark shapes headed towards her. She slid out her claws and bared her teeth. 

“It’s okay, Lichentail,” said a voice. 

“How do you know my name!?” she exclaimed. Had ThunderClan sent warriors all the way into the mountains to find her? She tensed up as two cats appeared out of the fog, but relaxed when she didn’t recognize them. One had bright fiery ginger fur, and the other one was very pale ginger. There was something kind of off about their appearance…their bodies didn’t quite look solid, and their fur was as sparkly as the air. 

“You’re dreaming, Lichentail,” said the fire colored cat. “My name is Firestar, and this is my mate, Sandstorm.” 

“F—Firestar?” Lichentail sputtered. “I…I’ve heard of you, you’re a legend!” 

The famous ThunderClan leader nodded. “StarClan isn’t used to looking beyond the Clan territories, but some of us have been watching you.” 

“You poor thing.” Sandstorm’s green eyes shone with sympathy. “You’re so far away from home, and all by yourself.” 

“I had to leave,” said Lichentail. “I…I had to…”

“We know,” said Firestar. “That’s why we’re here to talk to you.” 

“Long ago, back when we lived in the old forest, Firestar and I helped rebuild a Clan called SkyClan,” said Sandstorm. “They were driven out of the forest so long ago that no one remembered them, until Firestar began having dreams about them.” 

“StarClan told me it was my destiny to rebuild SkyClan,” Firestar continued. “So I left my deputy in charge of ThunderClan for a few moons while Sandstorm went with me to find cats that were willing to join a Clan. It wasn’t easy, but eventually we found many loners and kittypets that were interested in our stories of Clan life. To be honest, I didn’t think there was any way we could teach a bunch of cats about the warrior code and Clan life in just a few moons, but they learned quickly, and their leader was granted nine lives by StarClan.” 

“What we’re saying is, Lichentail, you have a destiny of your own, that is similar,” said Sandstorm. “Trust your instincts, and find cats that you trust to be fit for the warrior code. Honor your birth Clan by passing on its traditions to new cats. You can do it. StarClan has faith in you.”

“W…wow…” Lichentail was at a loss for words. “Th…thank you…”

“StarClan is still watching you, and always will be,” said Firestar, his voice beginning to fade. He and Sandstorm were swallowed up by the fog, and then suddenly, Lichentail was back in the poppy field, wide awake. It was still night—the stars above seemed larger and brighter than before. 

“StarClan is still watching me, and always will be,” Lichentail murmured, gazing at them. For the longest time she sat here, Firestar and Sandstorm’s words echoing in her head. Then, she smiled. 

“I’ll make you proud.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> End of Part 1!

**Author's Note:**

> This is the beginning of a long, three-part fanfic I have created. I am really proud of it and excited to be publishing it. Comments and feedback are much appreciated!


End file.
